Catch a Demon by the Tale
by Lady Starhawk
Summary: Caleb had a sister who is now out for revenge against the demon that killed him. Minor history with the Winchesters, and a few phone conversations, but no direct interaction with the boys until later chapters. Reposted with breaks back in place.
1. Chapter 1

Catch a Demon by the Tale  
By: Lady Starhawk Rated: PG  
Category: Slightly AU, action, very little angst  
Spoilers: All aired episodes  
Thank You: To Mandy for a wonderful beta; Rose, Meg, and Jen for all your encouragement; and everyone else who helped me along the way.

SUMMARY: Caleb had a younger sister who is now out for revenge against the demon that killed him. Minor history with the Winchesters, and a few phone conversations, but no direct interaction with the boys until later. I will try and keep the story as cannon as possible as I write it, but any OC turns things slightly AU.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own the Winchesters, but I wish on the first star every night that they might become mine one day. All mistakes are my own. Feel free to tell me about all of them ;).

Part 1  
Discoveries  
Summary: Alisabeth makes the arrangements for the dead hunters.  
Set during Dead Man's Blood, Salvation, and Devil's Trap  
Author's note: I started this story before Heart aired, so I am using a more "traditional" description of werewolves. Otherwise, I have tried to keep the story as cannon as possible.

I could hear branches breaking all around me. I knew my big brother Caleb was within sight of me, but I was unsure of exactly where. When John gave us this job, he assured us there was only one werewolf in this place, but if my hearing was correct, there were at least four.

I heard a distinctive snap to my left and turned, gun first, towards it. It was definitely a werewolf, but it was small, the size of a child. It was crouching beside a large tree, fangs bared, ready to spring,

"It's a family!" I yelled, so Caleb knew what we were up against, and aimed for its heart. I hit the thing square in the chest and it went down like a sack of bricks. I crouched down and scurried out of the clearing to get my back up against a tree. I waited for the retaliation.

I heard howls spring up all around me. There was at least one full-grown male in the group by the timber of the howls, probably daddy. I would guess mommy was close by as well.

Suddenly, as a cloud crossed over the moon, the entire forest grew silent. There were no noises at all, no snapping sticks, no insects, I couldn't even hear Caleb even though the gunshot should have brought him running. It was dark, and I knew my eyes would be useless until the cloud cover moved. I closed my eyes and tried to sharpen my hearing.

I heard a gunshot off to my left and grinned. I whispered under my breath, "Caleb." I knew he would take his target down in one shot as well. Two down.

Dead silence. Suddenly, I felt hot breath on the back of my neck. I whirled around. The biggest werewolf I had ever seen reared up behind me. He had to have been at least nine feet tall and was solid muscle. I sighed; no way this was going to end well.

"Um, hi Daddy. Sorry about your kid, but I kind of like being a living, breathing human." I smirked. Now I know taunting the monster isn't the safest pastime, but let's face it; it's fun. Caleb said I spent too much time with Dean Winchester last summer, I just laughed and remind him who had wanted me to spend time with the Winchesters in the first place. Dean and I are the same age, but neither one of us had spent much time training with other kids, so Caleb and John decided we would all train together last summer.

I saw one paw come up and managed to dodge out of the way. Rolling across the ground, I came up into a crouch. I managed to get off a shot, but it must have missed because he was already lunging at me. I knew if I let him close in, it was all over so I rolled out of his way again. This time when I came up into a crouch, the gun was batted out of my hands. I didn't bother to see where it went. I knew it would not do me any good.

I drew the silver knife from its sheath at my side to make my stand. John had taught Dean and me knife fighting last summer; Sammy had been part of those lessons as well. From our fights, I learned that reach was incredibly important in determining who would win. I was still bigger than both Sam and Dean, and managed to best them both in most of our sparring sessions, but I could never quite win against the adults. I was faster and younger but they had reach and experience. Daddy werewolf over there definitely had plenty of reach on me.

I readied my knife and waited for his attack. I had to bring him in close, and I was going to have to make some sacrifices to do it.

I waited. He lunged towards me, and I stepped right up into him. The pain that erupted in my arm was blinding throwing off my aim. I managed to gut him, but not bury the knife in the heart. I kicked him off of me and switched the blade to my left hand. My right arm was slick with blood and pain flared every time I moved it. Muscles refused to work correctly; I would no longer be using it in this fight.

I crouched and readied myself for his next attack. Sadly, I was totally unprepared for what happened next. I suddenly felt a blinding pain in my back. I looked and the werewolf I had been fighting almost appeared to be smirking. I felt my legs give out beneath me. I tried to get back up but my legs wouldn't cooperate. I was on my stomach with no leverage, so when I felt a clawed food dig into my left shoulder, I knew I was in trouble.

I felt hot breath on the side of my face, and smelled rotting flesh. It wasn't the one I had injured earlier, this must be mommy, and she didn't seem too happy. She dug her claws deep into my shoulder and pinned me to the ground. I tried to scream but she was pushing me down and all I got was a mouth full of dried leaves and mud.

I must have made enough noise though; I heard something crashing through the woods and into the clearing. Whoever it was yelled something at the creatures, and I heard a dozen shots from a pistol. The pressure on my shoulder increased, and then I felt the creature fall on top of me. She didn't move. I wanted to be relieved, but the world had taken on a surreal quality. As she fell, the cloud moved from in front of the moon and the clearing was bathed in light. I could see my Caleb moving towards me with that patented big brother look of concern.

Black spots danced around in my vision at that point, and I struggled to not pass out.

"Lisa?" I felt the weight move off of my back. I managed to pull a nice deep breath, and immediately regretted it. My entire body exploded in pain. I tried to suppress it, but a whimper still escaped.

Once the pain subsided to just blinding, and not incapacitating, I managed to croak, "I'm ok."

"Yeah, sure darlin'. I'll believe that when you get up." He smiled at me and poked at my torn jacket. "That's the last time you get to borrow my jacket."

I smiled, "I think this one's had it bro." I whispered. I hadn't moved yet. He lifted up the back of the jacket and whistled.

"You've really outdone yourself this time kid. I think she sliced down to bone in some of these cuts. Can you feel this?"

I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I knew I couldn't. "Feel what?"

I heard him start to cuss under his breath. It was at that point that I kind of blacked out.

SNSNSNSNSN

"So Caleb carried you to his truck and got you to the hospital?" Sam asked as he handed me another dish to dry.

"Yup. I was out of it for five days. I had lost a lot of blood, and they tried surgery to fix my back. But sadly, with a spinal chord, severed is severed and nothing can change that. Fortunately, there was no lasting damage to my arms, and I still have feeling and movement down to just above my knees. So I can walk with the braces and crutches, but I hope someday soon to not need the crutches so I can go back to hunting."

"Is that even possible?" He looked skeptical, just like Caleb had when I told him my plans.

"Yup. I have braces to lock my knees and ankles in place. You've seen me use them with the crutches when I need to get to places where the wheelchair won't go."

He nodded, and I continued.

"Well I met a guy, Jason, who has a similar injury to me. He actually is able to go without the crutches for short distances. He uses a cane to maintain his balance, so it's possible to walk his own a little bit. If I could do that, I could hold a gun, and get back into hunting.

"Cool." He handed me another dish.

"You two done yet?" An older man dressed in black asked as he popped his head into the kitchen.

"Almost Pastor Jim." Sam said blushing.

"Better hurry, John will be here soon to pick you up Sam, and you know he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Yes sir." He answered as he handed me the last dish. "Do you blame my Dad for your getting hurt?" Sammy looked me square in the eyes. There was so much pain and anger in them; I wasn't sure how to answer, so I went with the truth.

"No. I didn't two years ago, and I don't now." I laid the last dish on the stack on the counter, and Sam picked them up and started putting them into the cupboards.

I almost didn't hear his reply it was so low, "I would."

I grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him down into my lap. He might have been 14, but I was still bigger, and stronger. "Listen good, kid. Your daddy gave us the best information he had. Caleb and I made some mistakes that night, but I don't blame him either. I blame the monster that did this to me. John didn't slice my back up; he didn't purposely mislead us. He has nothing to do with me getting hurt. I know your daddy cares about Caleb and me. I know he loves you more than anything in the world. If it had been you to get hurt, the man wouldn't need you to blame him, he'd already blame himself."

Sam visibly paled. I might have gone too far, but I knew it was going to take some tough love to get through to this kid. He was as stubborn as his father, and twice as smart. Considering John Winchester was one of the smartest people I have ever met that was saying something.

Looking down at the floor, he whispered, "I'm sorry Lis."

I gave him a hug and set him back on his feet. "I know you are, kid, but shit happens. You have to learn to roll with the punches, so to speak." He smiled as I tried to roll over his foot. "And besides, I have a cool new job because of it."

"Yeah?" He sat down at the kitchen table and tossed me an apple.

I caught it in my left hand and took a big bite. "Yeah, I'm going to college in the fall. Classical Mythology and Folklore major." Sam smirked, "Yeah, the professors would probably crap themselves if they knew I was in this chair because of a werewolf." I winked at him. "Setting myself up to be a research guru for hunters. It'll be nice to have access to University libraries and professionals that might be able to help out."

Sam smiled brightly, "Cool." I saw a reflection of the cute little kid Sam had been shine through.

I was about to say more when I heard the rumble of the Impala outside. Sam got up and kissed my cheek, "Good luck in school Lis." He headed for the door.

"Call me if you need me kid." I smiled and finished my apple.

SNSNSNSNSN

I had gotten the call 3 days ago. I was listed as next of kin for many hunters, so it wasn't unusual.

Daniel Elkins was dead. I knew he had been hunting vampires in that area for many years. I also knew about the stuff he kept in that cabin. I needed to get there and catalog it. Many of his books were rare and important. It was my job to make sure they stayed accessible to us and didn't fall into the hands of the enemy.

It's Caleb's job to supply munitions and weaponry to hunters, and he's good at his job. He told me Dan had several ancient and powerful weapons in his cabin, including one that could be helpful for the Winchesters.

I had a feeling I was going to run into John at Elkins' place, but what I saw as I pulled up to the cabin surprised me. A shiny black Impala was sitting next to the porch. I saw a very tall, dark haired man in the widow. "Sammy," I whispered to myself, "my how you've grown." A shorter blonde man stepped up next to him. "Bet it kills him that his baby brother is taller." I smirked to myself and pulled the car back into one of the hidey-holes Dan had in his driveway.

I had spent the summer after my accident with Dan. I was no longer being trained for hunting, but I still had revenge in my heart. I needed the hunt. Needed to take down the things I knew were out there. Things like what had killed my parents. Caleb was content in helping others hunt, but I needed to do something active, take a part in it myself. Dan had been hunting since the 60's and had obtained so much knowledge in that time it was surprising. I soaked up everything he told me like a sponge. He would tell me stories, and retell old myths. He showed me how to follow the trail of a story to the origin. I was the one who stumbled on the legend of the Colt, and Elkins took it from there. I had no doubt that the stubborn man would track it to its origins and find the weapon that could kill anything.

During that summer, I explored the area around his house as much as I could. I had to figure out how to navigate over rough terrain both with the chair and without it. I found all these hidey-holes in the driveway; Dan explained to me that they were for surveillance. They were indiscernible, unless you knew where to look. He was a paranoid man, and we would have to stake out his home for 30 minutes before actually moving near the house every time we returned home.

I knew the best spot to watch the house, and I parked there. I watched the boys rummage around, but being careful to not really touch anything. Observing, I let my mind wander a bit to that summer with Dan.

Jim had helped Caleb drive my Charger up here. Caleb had given me that car for my sixteenth birthday. A 1968 Charger Convertible with a huge engine and the topper fitted to be electronic so you didn't have to get out of the car to change it. It was a beautiful color: a black undercoat with a midnight blue glitter topcoat. It looked shiny and black in the dark, but in the sun she shone like the ocean under the midday sun. Most of the engine and bodywork had been completed the summer I spent with the Winchesters. John taught me as much about engines as he did about hunting.

Bobby came up to Elkins' place early in that summer and helped me outfit my baby so I could drive her. I couldn't use my legs anymore, so we had to install hand controls for the gas and breaks. He also helped me put in an automatic transmission. Now I know my baby wasn't happy about that, but I explained to her it was the only way I was going to be able to drive her. After that, she took to the changes and we were able to get back out on the road, top down with the wind in my hair as we cruised through the mountains. It was a good time.

Yanked out of my memories by the opening of the front door, I noticed the boys didn't have anything with them. Everything I needed to retrieve should still be there. I waited for the Impala to pass me by and move onto the road. Counting off ten minutes, I headed to Dan's place myself.

I shifted into my chair, but made sure the crutches were tucked into their place in the back. I didn't know how cluttered his place was going to be, so I needed to be ready to ditch the chair.

As I approached, I noticed that the front door had been kicked open. Now Dean and Sam would have picked the lock, so it must have been whoever or whatever had killed Daniel. In the study, there was glass all over everything, and I noticed it was kind of cold. When I looked up, I saw the skylights had been smashed in, but none of the glass shards had blood on them.

Things were neater than I had hoped. Most of his books were in the study, and although there was evidence of a struggle, things seemed pretty intact. There was a lot of stuff though; it was going to take time to sort through it all. Maybe I could get George and his moving company to get it all to my house so I could go through it there.

In the study I opened the empty duffel I brought with me and started sorting through things. Some of the papers on the floor were bloody; this was where he must have died.

I was looking around the room near the bloodstains when I found it. A vampire tooth. Sharp, thin, and deadly. It had some blood on it still. I sighed. John believed that vampires were extinct, which means that they had no idea what killed Dan. He would have kept his boys in the dark about them. That also meant I might need to take care of them myself.

Sitting on the desk was Dan's journal. I picked it up and started leafing through it. I needed to find out all I could about these vamps.

It took me nearly an hour, but I finally absorbed all the info I could from his journal about the vampires and put it in the duffel bag. I also knew for sure that he had had the Colt, so I started my search for it. I found old books, journals, and talismans, but not what I was looking for. He apparently kept it in the safe next to his desk, but the safe was open and empty. On the desk I noticed a beautiful wooden box. I opened it and saw it had the space for an old revolver and 13 bullets. It was currently empty. Either the boys had grabbed it, or the creatures that killed him had. I continued to search through his things.

I knew what I had to do. Kill Dan's murderers, and retrieve the gun. I didn't have time for sorting and moving books and antiques. Not yet. Time to grieve later as well.

I called Caleb knowing I needed to make it short to avoid the subject of me hunting. He wasn't going to be happy about that. I told him to arrange for the moving company to clean out the cabin. We had used a very special company for other retrievals. They were used to moving collections for the rich and famous. They would be careful, fast, and discrete. He agreed to make the arrangements and to have everything tagged and catalogued when it was boxed up, so it would be easier to arrange once I got to it. I also told him the boys had been here, but left seemingly empty handed.

"Don't go all vengeance on me kid," he said before I could hang up.

"What do you mean?" I tried to play innocent. Without the puppy dog eyes, it wasn't as effective or nearly as pitiful.

"You know what I mean, trying to take out whatever killed Daniel."

I smirked. I loved my brother. He was so predictable.

"Now why would I do that?"

"Because you are hot-headed and have a stubborn sense of right and wrong. The boys are there, and I'm sure John isn't far away either. Let them deal with it, you deal with the books." Caleb was pleading with me.

"Ok," Caleb didn't beg very often, so I'd throw him a bone, "if John and the boys are going to hunt I will leave it alone, but if they leave the area I'm going after them. I might wait around long enough for you to come with me if you hurry."

"Them?"

Shit. I had let too much slip. "Yeah," I sighed, "I found a vampire tooth on the floor of the cabin. Since that's what Daniel hunted best, I concluded that they are what killed him." Should I tell him? "And I think the vamps have the Colt." I decided sometimes laying it all on the line was better with Caleb.

He had always been an overprotective older brother, but ever since the accident it's escalated to near epic proportions. It's been ten years but he still smothers me with protection and it pisses me off sometimes. I've proven myself over and over again through the years, both before, and after, the accident. I swear one day he will finally see me as an equal.

"Trail the boys, if they are on the case you get back to the cabin and do your job." Caleb sighed, "If they leave town instead, call me and I'll be down there by nightfall."

"How do we find out if the boys have the Colt?"

"I'll call John, ask him if he knew about Daniel, tell him you're on your way down and work the Colt into the conversation."

"You sly dog. That's why I love you bro." I smiled.

"Go. Trail the boys, I'll make the calls on my end. I…"

"Bye." I hung up abruptly cutting off whatever he had been starting to say. I love my brother to death, but the man doesn't know when to stop talking and just hang up.

SNSNSNSNSN

It turned out I didn't need to hunt the vampires; John was indeed in town and hooked up with his boys. I shadowed them a bit to make sure they knew what they were hunting. If John knew I was around, he didn't let on.

Once they were engrossed in the hunt I went back to Daniel's place. I needed to start sorting things out. I grabbed a wagon from my trunk and managed to haul it into Dan's place. I was going to get all of the books and stuff in one room. His clothes and things could stay here, but anything hunting related had to go.

Sadly, I was getting quite a collection of old books at home. Three rooms of the house were dedicated to bookshelves and trunks of old magical items and weapons. Fortunately for me, with my major in school, it wasn't surprising to non-hunters that I had so many weird books.

Last summer I finished my Ph.D. in Folklore and Mythological Studies. I have access to nearly any library in the country, even closed collections at Universities and have been granted access to libraries all over the world.

When I discovered that Sammy was going away to Stanford, I transferred there for grad school. That way I could keep an eye on him. Once I was settled I let Caleb inform Dean and John that I was there and would keep an eye on the kid. I don't think Sammy even knew I was there. I was a teaching assistant for a couple of freshman classes, but he wasn't in any of them. It surprised me that he would skip the "easy A" classes for someone raised as a hunter, but if he wanted to be rid of this life, it was the easiest way to do it. I got a few visits from John over the years, and a few more from Dean, but for the most part I didn't have much contact with any of the Winchesters.

It took an entire day, but eventually I was able to move everything from Daniel's cabin that needed to go back to my house into the study. There were a few books and items that needed to be brought to Pastor Jim for proper disposal or storage. There was a nasty little book made from human skin and written in blood that oozed EMF, a crystal necklace that had something moving within it, and a ring that glowed on its own. These were the most powerful items I had found in the cabin. Those were the ones I wasn't going to entrust to anyone else.

I was just sitting down to page through Elkins' journal again when I heard a loud engine pull up next to the house. I set down the book I had in my hand and went to the window. It was the moving truck.

I smiled, just in time. I was itching to get back home. I met them and explained what needed to be done. George, a retired hunter, was in charge of the company and he assured me it would be taken care of. His sons didn't want to hunt evil, so they had gone into the moving business. They specialize in "antiques." George always uses EMF on any new items. Anything dangerous is cataloged and he lets me know about it. I then do the research, and if it's dangerous I call the people that take care of things like that.

It was nice to be connected. I often wondered why John kept to himself so much. I knew the boys didn't know about all the help around them. People to help ease passage into places, people to do the research, heck even people to clean up after the job is done. We have lawyers, detectives, and doctors in our network. Now I admit that I don't trust all of them, so anything really sensitive goes to people I know and can trust, thus the detour to Jim's place, but for the most part everyone does their job and evil goes bye-bye.

I gave George a hug and grabbed my duffel bag. I had put some of Dan's more sensitive things in there; research about the Colt, his journal, and some of his other personal things along with the really dangerous items to go take to Jim. I also took something sentimental for myself. Every evening during the summer I had stayed with him, Dan would make tea at dusk, and we would sit out on the porch to watch the sun set. Sometimes we would talk; sometimes we wouldn't say anything. I still try and have a cup of tea at dusk as often as I can. It was a nice way to start the day if we were going to hunt, or end the day if we worked at home.

As soon as I was on the road, I called Caleb. I told him I was on my way to Jim's place with some things that needed special handling and that I would be home in a couple of days.

"John knew you were there, kid."

"Yeah, I know. He looked right at me a couple of times. I am going to assume he has the Colt now?"

"Yeah, I told him you were cleaning out Dan's place and he offered up the information."

"That's odd for John, he's usually a need-to-know kind of guy. I'll call him in a little bit here. Even if he's still with the boys, I'm sure he's in his truck, alone."

"Yeah, Dean doesn't let anybody drive his baby if he can help it, and Sam and John would probably kill each other."

I laughed, "Yeah, two peas in a pod. If they were any more alike I might think about getting them matching sweaters for Christmas."

"Yeah, makes you wonder where Dean came from." I cocked my head to the side, even though I knew he couldn't see it. This was an odd conversation to be having. We rarely talked about the Winchesters, and lately they seem to be the topic of conversation.

"Probably takes after Mary. He's always reminded me of a mommy grizzly. She knows you're there, and most of the time doesn't really care, but if you even think about threatening her cubs, she's the most dangerous thing on the planet."

Caleb laughed, "Just don't let Dean hear you say that."

"What, that I compared him to a bear, or that it was a female bear?"

"Yes." Caleb sighed, "Something's happening Alisabeth. Something bad is on the horizon. Bobby called me last night and told me demonic possessions were astronomically high and that a lot of the minor baddies were going underground. Be careful. Get to Jim's and get back here quick. I have a feeling we're going to need our researcher to be in her library soon."

I bit my lip. So that's what's really bothering him. Something bad was about to happen and I'm out of reach. "Ok, big brother, I'm just leaving Colorado right now. I'll be at Jim's church in time to have breakfast with him, and then I'll head straight home."

"Good. Call Jim and let him know you're on your way."

"Yes mom." I hung up on him again. I knew it pissed him off when I cut him off like that, but as the little sister it is required, even if I am 27.

I hit Jim's speed dial number and made breakfast arrangements. It was late October, darn near November, but I was dying for some fresh air, so at the next rest stop I pulled over and hit the button to open my baby up. Putting on my gloves and a jacket before getting back on the highway, I cranked up the music and enjoyed the dark, lonely drive.

SNSNSNSNSN

As soon as I opened the door of the church I knew something was wrong. Jim was expecting me. I told him I would meet him for breakfast, but the church was too quiet.

The front door was open, so I knew Jim had been here already this morning. He leaves the front door open whenever he's in the building. I asked him why once and he told me, "You never know when someone is going to need help."

"Hello?" I called as I opened the door. The security alarm didn't go off. Usually when you open the door there's a beep throughout the church to alert those inside. There were no lights on in the vestibule, but the sun streaming in through the large stained glass windows light the whole sanctuary. I had always loved those windows. It bathed the whole room in a warm, colorful light.

I knew the church was maneuverable for my chair, so I left the crutches behind. It was easier to have weapons at the ready when you didn't have to worry about falling. Although the whole, moving the chair forward with one hand thing was hard, I had kind of figured it out.

"Jim?" I called out again as I entered the sanctuary. The church was completely silent. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I could tell something was wrong, I just couldn't figure out what. I fingered the gun nestled at the small of my back and continued forward.

I moved down the center aisle between the pews. As I took a deep breath, I noticed something odd. There was something wrong with the scent of the room. It had always been the same. Ever since I had met Pastor Jim, the sanctuary smelled of incense and wood smoke. When I got to the front of the church, I stopped. I took a deeper breath and tried to place the out-of-place scent.

The memory clicked and my heart sank into my feet. Sulfur. I smelled sulfur. There was only one reason I could think of that sulfur would be in a church. A demon was here. Or had been here.

Taking my gun from its hiding place in the waistband of my jeans, I checked the rounds, consecrated iron dipped in holy water. Not perfect for a demon, but there really was only one gun that might work on a demon, and John had it. I rolled slowly forward and made sure that the flask of holy water was next to the gun in my lap. The door to the back stairway was open, so I could peer down into the lower hallway.

I tried the lights, but nothing happened when I flicked the switch. Fuse probably blew from the electrical interference of a demonic presence. Not unusual, but another piece of the puzzle.

The ramp down to the next level was at the back of the church. I had to move back through the sanctuary and back into the vestibule to get to it. As I left the vicinity of the altar and the door to the study the smell of sulfur got fainter. I was still cautious, but I needed to know what was going on.

I rolled down the ramp and into the hall that would lead me to Jim's office. There were no lights on, but I could see the sun shining through the stained glass window at the end of the hall. The doors of Jim's office were open; he always kept those double doors locked because it's where he keeps his weapons and research materials. He would never leave those doors hanging open like that, unless...no I wasn't going to think like that, not now.

As I moved towards the study the smell of sulfur got stronger. I also was able to hear something that sounded like water dripping.

The water sound and the sulfur smell were both coming from the open doors to Jim's office. I thought about calling Caleb. I had only read about demons, I hadn't dealt with them myself, but Jim might need help now, and delaying might prove disastrous.

I steeled myself and peered into the room. There, sitting at his desk, was Pastor Jim dressed in black and wearing his collar. When I realized what I was really seeing I knew it would haunt me until the day I died. His throat was slit wide open; blood had flowed down his front and onto the floor. His eyes were still open, and he seemed to be looking straight at me. His face still held a slightly shocked expression like he had been taken by surprise.

I immediately scanned the room. Whatever had done this could still be here. I listened for the sound of someone breathing.

"Cristo." When I heard nothing around me I was sure I was alone. Cautiously, with my gun still out, I moved into the room. I checked behind the doors, and found no one hiding there.

I moved forward around his desk to find the source of the sound. Blood dripped onto the floor from the desk chair. I reached out and closed his eyes. He was still warm and the blood was a bright red, but the puddle's edges were starting to turn thick and sticky. I knew he hadn't been dead long.

A bloody knife lay on the ground. I knew someone who could identify the attacker, and even track the demon, if I had something that it had touched. As an added bonus, I noticed sulfur residue on the handle. A sure sign a demon did this. I took my jacket and wrapped the knife up in it. I placed it in the backpack I keep on the back of my chair. It would do me more good than the cops, and every person that touched it from now on would make the trace that much harder. I wasn't messing with evidence; I was collecting it.

I hit the button to close his weapons locker. Caleb and I had helped him install it, so I knew nobody but Caleb and I would be able to open it. I took a glance around the room to be sure that nothing was visible and suspicious. I didn't want Pastor Jim's memory tarnished with his parishioners. I didn't see any weapons lying around, so I went ahead and punched the code to seal it up tight. When closed, it looks like a wall with a picture on it. We even made it so that there's a safe behind the picture, which was my idea.

I moved back into the hallway, away from Jim's corpse, and called the police. I knew that the demon was long gone, and that the authorities must been called. The dispatcher was polite, but detached. I answered her questions, but I made sure she understood that he was dead. No ambulance was needed. I hung up on her and leaned my head against the wall. Once I got off of the phone with the police I called Caleb.

He seemed surprised by how calm I was. Frankly, I was as well. I told Caleb that it was a demon, and that Jim's locker had been open, but I closed it when I got here. I was going to stay and make sure that the arrangements were made for the funeral. I also asked him to call John. He wasn't too happy about it, but I was going to be dealing with cops for most of the day, so he needed to let people know what happened. He wanted to come down and help me, but I didn't want him here. I needed to handle this on my own. I promised to let him know when the memorial service was going to be, and assured him that we would attend.

I hung up the phone went back up to my car. I was leaving some blood tracks in the hall, but I didn't really care. I removed all my personal weapons and stashed them in their hiding places in the car. I left my backpack there as well, it had the murder weapon in it after all. I went back down to Jim's office door to wait for the police.

Apparently I lost track of time because the next thing I was aware of was a man kneeling down in front of me.

"Ms. Grage?"

I looked up not knowing how he got the drop on me. I nodded; looking around, I noticed there were a lot of people moving in and out of the room.

"Were you a friend?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded again and tried to find my voice, "We were supposed to have breakfast this morning."

"Alright honey."

Next thing I knew someone was putting a blanket over my legs and another around my shoulders. I looked up at the man above me, and I must have really looked confused because he said, "I think you're in shock my dear."

I nodded, of course, that would explain why I couldn't feel anything; the reason I felt like the world was made out of taffy, and why people were able to sneak up on me. Why I couldn't stop looking at Jim's body, even though they had covered him with a sheet by this time. I've seen bodies before, seen people killed in front of me, and I had never had a reaction like this. I remember Caleb telling me how out of it I was the night mom and dad were killed, but I can't remember a time since that day I reacted this way to anything.

An EMT came up to me and asked if she could examine me. I nodded since I didn't have the energy to say anything. She gave me a pretty thorough examination. I tried to answer when she asked me questions, and I must have done well enough because she told me I was going to be fine. I saw her move over to speak to the man who had talked to me before.

He came back over and sat by me. I looked at him and noticed the collar. He was the other pastor here. I knew him. He wasn't a hunter himself, but he was aware of Jim's knowledge and abilities.

"Do you smell that?" He asked softly.

"Sulfur." I whispered. I had to suppress a shudder.

"You know what did this?" He kept his voice low.

"Demon."

They loaded Jim's body into a body bag and put it on a gurney. The cops came over to me and I managed to give them my statement. Fortunately Pastor Connor, I remembered his name now, was there to help me. He was supportive and kept the cops on track. He even told them when I had had enough questions and told me to give them my cell phone number if they needed to contact me.

Jim's body was gone, I was left to my own devices. I went up to Connor's office and we sat there. He put on some coffee and just let me sit quietly.

"He will need to be cremated." I finally was able to get out once my coffee was half gone. "And the remains salted. He died a violent death and I don't want him coming back."

"Of course. What else?"

"I'll need to take care of the weapons and books in the study, and I am going to need to pack up the stuff in his house too before I go home. Those books and weapons will be useful for other hunters."

"You are listed as his next of kin Lisa. You're perfectly within your rights to do what you want to with his things."

I nodded. I needed to call Caleb back.

SNSNSNSNSN

With Pastor Connor's help I was able to clean out Jim's office by the afternoon. I went through the things in his house, and once again took the most dangerous things with me. I called George myself this time, and explained the situation to him. He took Jim's death hard, as I know many in the community would. Everybody liked Pastor Jim, and I don't know many hunters that hadn't passed through his doors at some point or other.

George was going to send his brother up tomorrow to take care of Jim's place. Once again, I spent the afternoon and evening going through the stuff of a good friend and mentor. It felt like an invasion to be reading through his journal, but it had to be done.

At about 5:00 I made myself a pot of tea and sat out on the front porch to watch the sunset. I thought about the first night that I met Pastor Jim; the night my parents were killed.

I was 12, and Caleb was 18. Our whole family was camping in southern Minnesota. It was early June and there weren't any others around the campground. We were going on one last camping trip before Caleb would be leaving. He was joining the National Guard, and had to leave for training in a few weeks.

We were all sitting around the fire when it happened. A creature came from nowhere and clawed our father straight down the middle. It was huge, with large claws. It appeared to have no nose on its misshapen head. It had huge ears and did I mention the really really long claws? Dad gurgled a little before going forever still. Caleb pushed me to the ground and moved in front to defend me. Mom screamed. I saw it slink into the firelight. Caleb had taken a defensive stance above me, so I stayed on the ground and grabbed a log that was burning on one end only.

I handed him the makeshift club and tried to move towards the creature. "Don't move Lis." Caleb growled under his breath. I knew that tone. It was the one he used when he really meant business. I nodded but knew he wouldn't have seen it.

Mom stood up and moved so she was on the other side of Caleb. I knew they were going to try and protect me, and it made me bristle a bit. I was a big girl. I had had martial arts training, and I knew I could help. I tried to stand again and this time it was mom who spoke, "Please sweetie, stay down." I heard the quiver in her voice and knew I had to do as she asked.

Next thing I knew the creature lunged and Mom tried to block it; she ended up getting her arm sliced to ribbons. Unfortunately she wasn't prepared for its other arm. That one took out her throat. She fell to the ground in front of me, spraying the campsite with her blood. She was making horrible gasping, gurgling noises as she struggled to breathe. I was covered in blood. My mother's blood. I watched the light dim in her eyes. I would never forget that moment.

Caleb hit the thing with the burning end of the club to get it away from her, and I heard it scream. It was the most horrible thing I had ever heard.

Caleb reached his hand down to me and I took it. He helped me up and positioned me behind him. "When I give you the signal I want you to run Lis." He was moving us to the side opposite the campfire from the creature.

I shook my head. I couldn't find my voice, but I needed him to know I wasn't about to leave him here to die.

"Lis, I'll be right behind you. I need to make sure you're safe, babygirl." I heard his voice crack a little when he said that. I sobbed in resignation. He nodded and I saw him tense up.

Suddenly I saw movement behind me. I must have gasped because Caleb turned towards me. A man moved into the clearing, he had what appeared to be a flare gun in his hands. "You kids ok?" He asked moving in next to Caleb.

The creature had yet to move. It seemed to be afraid of the fire, but unwilling to leave its prey.

"Yeah." I heard Caleb answer as he tightened his grip on the club.

"Good. Close your eyes, it's going to get a little bright."

Caleb turned away from the creature and put an arm around me. I closed my eyes but I still saw the flash through my eyelids. I heard the creature scream again, and the smell of roasting flesh was unmistakable.

"You can open your eyes now." The man said as he sat down by the campfire. He was a ruggedly handsome man. Shaggy beard, sturdy boots, and sensible clothing, layers of flannel and wool. He had a pack on his back and I saw knives and guns on his belt glinting from the light of the fire.

"What was that thing?" Caleb asked as he moved me closer to the fire. He had me sit down on a log and he knelt down to check me for injuries. All I could see was mom's face looking up at me in a puddle of her blood soaking into the forest floor.

"Wendigo. A creature that used to be a man hundreds of years ago but due to cannibalism turned into that." He pointed to the burning corpse. "As it ate the souls of people, its own soul became corrupt. Eventually you get an unstoppable killing machine." He appeared to look us over with a critical eye. "Holding that burning log was the best thing you could have done. It can only be killed with fire."

"Lisa was the one that gave it to me." I heard Caleb move, but I wasn't sure where to, I reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "It's ok Lis, I'm not going anywhere. I'm Caleb Grage, this is my little sister Alisabeth." He held his hand out to the stranger.

The man took the hand and they shook, "John, John Winchester." John then moved to block my view of my mother's body. "You ok sweetie?" He knelt down on the ground in front of me. He had nothing but compassion in his eyes. "That was smart thinking giving your brother that log." He smiled softly. I met his eyes, but only nodded. He grabbed a cloth from his pack and cleaned off my face and arms.

Standing, he started talking to Caleb. I clung onto my brother, I'm sure I left bruises I held on so tightly. All I remember from the conversation was, church, help, guardianship, authorities. I felt Caleb sit me down facing away from the campsite. John sat next to me. He must have put his jacket on me because suddenly I was warmer. I heard Caleb gathering things together.

"I have a son probably about your age." I looked him in the eye. "He saw his mother get killed too. He didn't talk for a long while after that." I knew he was telling the truth. He looked like he really knew what I was feeling, "It's ok to be scared darlin' but what's important is you did the right thing. There was nothing you could have done to save them."

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I saw Caleb holding his pack. He handed it to John.

"Got everything?" John said adding the pack to his own.

"Yeah, anything else will come back to us after the authorities are done processing the scene." Caleb then picked me up. I'm not sure what happened after that. I woke up as Caleb pulled up to a church. I saw an old black car in the lot.

I looked to Caleb and he smiled, "Somewhere safe for the night. A friend of John's. He was going to let this pastor know we were coming."

I nodded and got out of the truck. Caleb had grabbed the pack from the trunk before we headed inside.

It was the middle of the night, and the church looked deserted. I heard a door slam somewhere near the back. Caleb held my hand as we went in the front door. It was dark inside, and Caleb led me down the aisle between the pews. We went down a set of stairs hidden in the back. There was a warm yellow light radiating from the stairway and Caleb didn't hesitate, just headed down. I heard a car, sounding old and powerful, pulling away. Probably the big black car that was in the lot.

A man sat at a desk wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. It was 3 in the morning, and he looked as haggard as Caleb. He had books lying all over the desk, and a pot of coffee brewing in the corner. The man got up from his desk and moved over to us. Caleb dropped my hand to shake the man's hand.

"Caleb, Caleb Grage."

"Father James Murphy, but people call me Pastor Jim."

Jim released Caleb's hand and Caleb grabbed my hand again, and took a step back.

"Caleb, I'm so sorry. John just left with his boys. He told me what happened." I moved to hide behind Caleb.

"This is Alisabeth." Caleb took me by the shoulders and moved around behind me. I tried to shrink into his legs and wished I could disappear.

He had warm brown eyes and a calm face, "Hello there, I'm Pastor Jim Murphy." He held out his hand to me. I hesitated.

"It's ok Lis, we need to trust him." Caleb nudged me.

I knew I should be polite to him so I stepped forward and shook his hand. I tried to say something, but nothing would come out.

"It's alright child. It's not uncommon for traumatic experiences to chase away your voice. We can try and find it again in the morning. You've had a long night. I've got the guest room ready for you both."

He led us through a tunnel and into the basement of a house. Guiding us through the house, we climbed to the second floor. There were two rooms and a bathroom here on the top level and Jim led us to one of them. There were two twin beds and a dresser in the corner. It was plain but warm.

I was unable to stifle a yawn as Caleb sat me down on the bed farthest from the door and started removing my shoes and socks.

"If you need anything just holler. There's another room across the hall of you prefer separate accommodations." I grabbed his arm and held tight. Caleb shook his head. I was glad; I didn't want to spend the night alone. "Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen too." He smiled sadly, "Sleep well."

Caleb and I slept in the same room during our stay at Jim's. Jim took care of a lot of the legal stuff. Our parents were "found" mauled by a bear in the woods. Caleb was old enough so he was granted custody of me. Jim helped us out with the insurance stuff and helped us keep our home. He was also our first mentor. He taught us all about the supernatural world and introduced us to other hunters. We even went on hunts with John, and his boys.

SNSNSNSNSN

My cell phone started ringing and yanked me from my memories. My cup of tea was cold, and the sun was going down.

It was Sam Winchester's number; I managed to answer it by the third ring.

"Hi Sammy, long time no speak." I couldn't keep the smile out of my voice.

"Hey Lisa. Where are you?" His voice was thick and deep, laced with emotion. I had always been able to read Sam, even when nobody else could. The fact that he didn't correct me for calling him Sammy should have been my first clue.

"At Jim's. I was just about to head home. Why, what's wrong?" With Sammy, direct was the best approach. With some hunters, it was easier to slowly work info out of them, but the Winchesters had always been straight shooters. Part of why I liked them.

"Are you sitting down?" Now I was really worried. Sam's voice was heavy, and I hadn't heard Dean or John in the background yet.

"Um, Sammy, I'm always sitting down kid. Or did you forget that part?" I smirked, sometimes humor was a good thing, but Sam didn't rise to the bait.

I heard Dean chime in, "Of course she's sitting down bitch." His voice was lighter, but still thick with worry.

"What's going on Sam?" To get Dean rattled it was definitely bad.

"Caleb's dead."

"Lisa? Hey Lisa, you there girl?" I heard Dean's voice yelling through the phone. I don't know how long I was out of it, but it must have been enough to scare the boys.

"Yeah." I whispered. Son-of-a-bitch.

"You scared us there, babe." I heard the relief in his voice.

"Sorry." My brain seemed to be stuck. Caleb. Big brother, protector, parent, best friend, dead. "How did you guys find out?" My brain started turning again. I shut off the emotional part and turned on the hunter part. I had done it often enough recently and it scared me at how easily I could turn off my grief.

"The bitch that slit Jim's throat called us. She had Caleb tied up and was taunting Dad." Dean sighed, "She admitted to killing Jim, and then slit Caleb's throat to let Dad listen as he died. She then said Dad had to take the Colt to Lincoln by midnight tonight or more of our friends would die."

Okay, proof that it was a demon, proof that the same thing killed Jim and my br-Caleb. "It's a trap."

"Yeah, Dad knew, so we got a fake Colt to trade."

"He went alone?" I was shocked; he left his boys behind to deal with a demon himself. One that had killed two hunters already today.

"Yeah, we got a bead on the thing that killed Mom and Jessica, so we're here with the Colt to finish it."

"That's probably a trap too, you know." I closed my eyes; I couldn't lose the Winchesters today too.

"Maybe, but if we don't try, another family is going to lose their mom like we did." There was a conviction in Dean's voice that only came out when he was talking about his dad's crusade.

"Be careful." I couldn't come up with anything better to say. "I'm going to take care of Caleb and get the dangerous things from Jim's stored away. Then I'm going to hunt that bitch down and destroy her." Wow, an emotion seeped into my voice. Anger, and seething pain-fueled hatred.

"Well, we know she's in Lincoln right now, but hopefully Dad's going to take care of her."

"Yeah. Keep me posted?"

"Sure. We'll call you once we take care of the demon." Dean said and I heard him hand over the phone.

"Have your dad call me when you talk to him next. I want to be sure he's really ok too."

"Of course Lisa. I wish we could be there to help with Caleb." I could hear the regret in Sam's voice.

"I know, and I appreciate the thought, Sam, but you've got your own things to worry about." I thought for a second. I didn't like any of this. "Be careful, Sam, things are moving too quickly for my liking. Something big is going down. Watch yourself, and that fool brother of yours."

"You be careful too, girl. If this thing is going after our friends you're probably high on the list."

"I'm always careful Sam. Good luck."

I closed my phone at that. I just sat on Jim's porch, numb. My brother was dead. Killed in our home by the same thing that killed Jim. I was going to kill her. Not just exorcise her but actually destroy her.

I thought for a few seconds, and sent Sam a text message, "Do you know what she looks like right now?"

It took a minute but he sent back a picture of a pretty little blonde woman, the caption read "Meg Masters".

I texted back, "THX" and threw the phone into my pack.

At that point I let myself have a mini-breakdown. Better here and now, than to have it when I'm on the road. It took me a couple of minutes to get myself back under control. I went back into Jim's house and grabbed the duffel with the things I had to take home. I wasn't going abandon my job, but I needed to get home. Someone had to take care of Caleb. And that someone would have to be me.

I got in the car and left as though the flames of hell were licking at my wheels because it was possible that they were.

SNSNSNSNSN

I drove as fast as I thought I could get away with. I made a four-hour trip in just under three.

While I was driving, I had one call to make. Regina, my roommate from college was a practicing witch. I'm talking actual spells, astral plane, turn-you-into-a-newt witch. I had helped her a few times with various people trying to kill her, including a demon and a group of hunters. She told me at graduation that if I ever needed anything, I just had to call. I knew she could do locator spells, and I was pretty sure she could pull off what I needed her to do. Find the demon that killed my brother and my mentor. I left a message telling the bare bones of what I needed, and put the phone in my pocket. She'd get back to me soon.

I pulled into the driveway shortly after midnight. There were no lights on when I got there. I shifted into my chair and made sure I had all the weapons I needed. Entering through the front door, I noticed that the house was spotless. Nothing was moved or out-of-sorts. I turned on lights, but nothing still seemed out of the ordinary yet.

The basement door was open. Caleb would never have left it open unless he was in the basement. That was where we kept the weapons locker. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I smelled sulfur. Just like this morning. My hands started to shake and I felt physically ill. The sulfur was the first clue that the boys were telling me the truth. I didn't want to go downstairs, but I knew I was going to have to.

I headed to the side of the house and the elevator. A few years ago Caleb had gotten an elevator installed in the house. It was an expense that we got the government to pay for. I am still not sure exactly how and I didn't really want to know. It made my life so much easier. It also made hauling books and weapons around much easier as well.

I hit the button for the basement and drew my gun. I was sure the house was empty; the demon was supposed to be meeting with John right now, but I couldn't be sure.

The doors opened and the sight before me would give me nightmares for decades. Caleb was in the middle of the floor by the stairs. He was tied to a chair and his front was covered in blood. The blood on the floor was meandering towards the drain in the corner.

The boys had been right. I rolled forward towards my big brother.

A small bloody knife was on the ground next to him. I picked it up, wrapped it in a cloth, and put it into my backpack with the one that had killed Jim. This one had sulfur residue on it as well. Hopefully Regina could use them to track the demon for me.

I cut Caleb out of the chair, closed his eyes, and made sure everything was out of his pockets. I set his keys on the nearby workbench and slid his lighter into my pocket. I then wrapped him in a sheet. The blood on the floor was nearly dry by now. It could just have been brown paint if I didn't know any better.

I tied his body onto an old snow sled we had in the corner. I remembered the last time I used it. I was 8 and Caleb woke me up early to hand me my snow clothes. We went out back and played outside until I thought my nose was going to fall off. He taught me how to build a fort and how to steer a sled. It was one of the best days I ever had. I'll never forget his arms around me as we flew down the hill at the back of the property. The hill is now used as a stop for the shooting range, but it also made the perfect sledding hill. Open. Steep.

I noticed water dripping on my hands as I worked. I looked at the ceiling, but it was dry. I realized I was crying. I shook the tears off my hands and went back to work.

I tied his body to the sled and managed to pull it over to the elevator. He wasn't a really big guy, and when there's no blood left in your body, there's a surprising difference in weight.

We had a bonfire pit set up in the yard. There was even a sidewalk that led to the pit. That way I could get out to it year round. Caleb always kept a large stack of dried firewood nearby. I wanted to build a pyre, but I knew I could never get his up body on it. I set out a layer of wood, and then rolled him onto it. I went back to the house to get my journal, the can of rock salt, and the lighter fluid we used for bodies. It was a special mix of diesel fuel, kerosene, and alcohol. Nasty stuff, but it would start near anything on fire, and burn hot and fast.

I slipped from my chair and sat in the grass on the edge of the firepit. I started reading an incantation. It was a rite to release the spirit to the angels and guide it to heaven. It was also a cleansing ritual to prevent anything from stealing the soul on its journey. I knew it was overkill to be saying these words, but I needed to make sure my stubborn brother actually WENT to heaven, rather than stay here to try to take care of me.

I pulled the lighter out of my pocket; it was engraved the date of our parent's death. He always used it, and was never without it. I felt it only fitting that it was what I used to burn him. I was about to flick the flame on when I felt a hand on my arm. The presence, exuding the scent of leather and gun oil, was calm and gentle. It could only be Caleb.

"I'm sorry." I said as I flicked the lighter and threw it on the pyre to burn with him. The presence faded as the fire grew. I sat and watched him burn as I let myself break down fully. I had always known I was going to have to burn my brother one of these days, I had just hoped that I wouldn't be alone when I had to do it.

My mind wandered as my brother burned. I didn't think about anything special, I just let the memories of the past flow over me.

It took nearly three hours for the fire to completely burn down to nothing but ash. I left the smoldering pile. The sun wouldn't rise for at least an hour yet, and I had other things to take care of.

I went back to the basement and covered the bloody spot with a tarp. I didn't have time for cleaning right now. I had to find the bitch and make sure she didn't kill any one else.

I grabbed what I thought I would need. Weapons. Protection. Caleb's journal. My journal. I loaded it all up into a duffel bag. I went to my bedroom and did the same thing with clothing and other essentials. I grabbed my stack of credit cards, as well as Caleb's. I didn't know how long I was going to be gone, so I needed to be prepared for the long haul. I loaded up my car and grabbed the duffel that I brought back from Minnesota.

Taking the duffel of stuff from Jim and Dan's homes, I secured it in the vault. It was hallowed ground and the best place to keep dangerous items. I kept their journals out though. You never knew when they would come in handy.

I sat down in the kitchen and made another round of calls. I managed to get hold of Joshua and let him know what was going on. He agreed to take precautions and notify others that there might be a demonic serial killer on the loose with a taste for hunters.

I started to clean out the fridge. I wasn't sure how long it would be before I was back, and I didn't want to have to clean up a civilization of mold in there when I returned. I poured myself a glass of milk and was starting to dump the leftovers into the garbage disposal when I felt it.

It was subtle at first. The hair on the back of my neck started to prickle. The hair on my arms stood up next. There was a charge in the air, and I made sure to stop moving and wait for her entrance.

Suddenly I heard what sounded almost like a gunshot, but I knew was a portal opening up in astral space to allow Regina to come through. There wasn't any wind like there is in a lot of movies, just a wacky electrical thing that's similar to the effect of demons and spirits.

A woman stepped through. She was wearing pajamas and slippers, and she had a backpack with her. Her long blonde hair flowed around her face and her glowing blue eyes.

"Hi Gina." I said moving out of the way to let her clear the portal.

"Hi Lisa. I came as fast as I could." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Thanks, babe. I took care of his body, but the rest of the area is clear, and I have the weapons used in both deaths. They have sulfur residue on them." I took the bundles out of my pack and handed them to her. "I was hoping you could ID the demon and get me a location so I can track the bitch."

She took the baggy from me and sat at the table. "Are you sure the same thing killed them both?" She took a cloth out of her pack and laid it out on the table.

"Yup. John Winchester was on the phone with her when Caleb was murdered. She admitted to killing Jim before killing Caleb."

She was arranging candles on the table, so I decided to fill in the rest of the story, "Jim was attacked on hallowed ground. I know he has all the proper precautions in place at the church. And Caleb kept this place damn near demon-proof all of the time. There is no way a demon could have gotten in here unless it was extremely powerful."

"Wow. What have you gotten into darlin'?" She shook her head as she pulled out some crystals and incense. "Ok, what I'm going to do is a spell that will not only identify the demon but locate it too. No matter who it's inhabiting or where they are, this will find them. It's a permanent spell, but if the demon leaves this dimension it will stop working. However, as soon as it comes back to this realm, the spell will turn back on."

"I'll leave you to it then, Gina." I knew she didn't like to be watched while she was spellcasting. Some witches didn't care, but even though we were best friends, she was still a little leery of using powerful magics in front of a hunter.

"Thanks. Why don't you get some sleep? You look beat."

"Not sure I can, but I'll try."

SNSNSNSNSN

I must have fallen asleep because I woke to the sound of my phone. It was still dark outside. I looked at the ID and it said Winchester, S.

I opened it up and answered. "Sam?"

"Alisabeth?" I heard a tentative voice in my ear.

"Thank God." I sighed, "You guys ok?"

"The demon got away."

"I'm so sorry, Sam." I knew Sam thought that he was going to fix everything last night. But the emotion in his voice was heavier than just a simple defeat; it was utter devastation. "What else happened?"

"It's Meg, she has Dad."

"Son-of-a-bitch" I whispered under my breath. I had hoped the boys could take care of their demon, and John could take care of mine.

I felt energy flowing through the house. Regina was close to finishing her spell.

"Can I call you back in a few minutes? I have a friend working on locating her."

"Sure. We're packing up and getting out of Salvation right now."

"Ok, it'll just be a few minutes."

I hung up and waited for the energy to dissipate. I then moved into the kitchen to check on Gina.

"Everything ok in here?" I asked; she looked tired, but I knew it was a powerful spell she had just done for me.

"Yeah, get me a map would you?" She was holding a crystal on a string. I grabbed my atlas from the counter and opened it up to the map of the Midwest. "Thanks. Now this works like a GPS. The crystal will glow whenever the demon is in our dimension. It will also pinpoint the exact location of the demon."

She dangled the crystal over the map and it stopped just east of Lincoln. It was moving slowly across the map towards where I knew the boys were.

"Thanks Gina." I kissed her on the cheek. "Feel free to stay here as long as you want, just lock up when you're done."

"Thanks, girl. I don't think I could get back today even if I wanted to. Two big spells in one night will tax a girl." She smiled and started packing away her things. "Be careful. It took some serious mojo to get that to work. Whatever you're mixed up in is some powerful shit."

"I know. But I have to do this. Caleb and Jim would have done the same for me. And I know the Winchesters are working this from their end."

"Go. Call Sam back. Keep those boys safe. They are going to be extremely important to the future balance of power. I'm not sure what's on the horizon, but it's not good. They have a part to play. A major part. We need to figure out how to work together to fix this." I smiled, Gina was a bit of a hippie and had dreams of one day openly helping hunters and not getting attacked for it.

I have the same dream. When we can work with witches and psychics to battle the true evil, instead of treating them like the things we're supposed to be hunting, then we may be able to defeat the real enemy.

"Thanks, babe." I moved out of the kitchen and back to the living room to call Sam back.

"Lisa?" Dean answered, and he sounded exasperated and desperate. He and Sam must have been fighting. I heard the growl of the Impala in the background.

"Yeah, where's Sam?" I was a little worried, I had just talked to the youngest Winchester, he knew I was going to call back.

"Driving."

"Got it. Did he fill you in on what I've got going on here?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I got the locator spell and she's just east of Lincoln moving towards Iowa. She's probably got a way to track you, so you need to be careful."

"Thanks Lis." He was terse. Now Dean's not a big talker, but he's usually a little more forthcoming than this.

"What's the plan, Dean?" If I pushed, I could maybe get him to open up and eventually take my offer of help.

"I don't know." His voice was weak and soft. To have him admit that was heart wrenching to me.

"I have an idea; I'll give Bobby a call and give him the heads up. I want you boys to head there. He's the best person to be with when a demon is trailing you. He's got exorcising spells and defenses set up. I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

"No. I don't want you involved in this." He growled at me. Now I knew he had a protective streak, but I had never really fallen under it before. It would have been touching if it hadn't stomped on my last nerve.

"As soon as Caleb's throat was slit open, I got involved Dean. Deal with it." I heard him sigh. Good. He remembered how stubborn I could be. "Don't sweat it, I can't do field work anyway. I'm just coming as research girl. This thing was on hallowed ground. I need to figure out how. You're going to do the footwork on this one."

I heard him chuckle, "Yeah, demons don't exactly stick to wheelchair accessible areas."

"I would hate to be foiled by a curb." It was childish, but at least he was playing with me. Not all was lost.

"One nail in the road and you're toast. Can't stop a pursuit to change a tire."

I had to laugh at that. "True. Head to Bobby's; he'll be able to help. You remember how to get there?"

"Yeah." That flat voice was back.

"I'll try and get there before she does, but she has a little bit of a head start on me. I'll keep you posted on her progress, but I have a feeling as soon as you change directions she'll change too." I laid the atlas out on the seat and let the necklace do its thing.

"Got it. And Lisa?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful." I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"You too. Tell Sammy we're going to get him back."

"Will do."

I shut the phone and turned the car towards Bobby's place. Then I called the old man. Hopefully he already knew what was going on, and still had that Key of Solomon on his ceiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Catch a Demon by the Tale Part 2  
Author: Lady Starhawk  
Beta: Mandy, plot assistance from Megg  
Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, and subject matter  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: Devil's Trap and into Season 2

SNSNSNSNSN

I didn't really wake up, as much as I slowly became aware of my surroundings. The first thing I noticed, I wasn't driving. There was a dull ache in my shoulders, and a sharp pain above my left eye. I took a deep breath, and regretted that. A sharp pain made itself known in my left side. Ribs, bruised, or cracked, but not completely broken.

Cracking my eyes open to see where I was, I realized I was in a barn. It was old, and not well cared for. Sunlight streamed through holes in the walls and the roof. I was tied to a chair in the middle of the floor. My wheelchair was nowhere to be found. I tried the ropes that had my hands tied, but whoever tied them had known what they were doing. There was no play in them at all.

I took stock of my body as best as I could. My arms were behind the chair, which would explain the ache in my shoulders. My fingers worked, and I didn't have any pain in my abdomen. I could see clearly, and I wasn't dizzy, so probably it was just a mild concussion. The ribs would be a problem, but nothing I hadn't lived through before. I looked down and surveyed my legs. I didn't see anything wrong, but until I got loose for a closer inspection, I wouldn't know if I had any major injury. There wasn't a pool of blood under the chair, and my jeans were still blue, which meant I was not actively bleeding, so I guess that was something.

I thought back to the last thing I remembered. I had the ragtop down, and had just finished changing the CD in the player. I remember a man crossing the highway; I don't think he made it across. Hitting the brakes, I swerved to avoid hitting him. I remember the brakes locked up, and I ended up losing control of the car. I was headed for the ditch, but recall nothing after that.

The boys would be at Bobby's by now and the demon that killed Caleb and Jim would be right behind them. Bobby would know what to do, but I don't think he has the incantation to destroy a demon, just banish one. I kept the rites to destroy them in my journal. It was big time stuff, not to be tried by anyone who doesn't know how to channel the power it requires.

My senses snapped back to attention when I heard a door creak open and shut quietly.

"Hello?" I called out.

I heard someone walking up behind me. The temperature in the barn dropped a little as I felt a presence very close to me. I couldn't turn around, but I could hear someone breathing behind me.

"Who are you?" I needed to keep my cool.

"No one of consequence Ms. Grage." I saw a young man step into my field of vision. I recognized him as the man that ran me off the road. He was young but handsome. His tall sturdy frame was topped by long, blonde hair. If I had to guess I'd say he played on the local college football team, he seemed the type. I looked up at his face, and noticed his eyes. They were black. Possessed. It was starting to make sense.

"What do you want?" I had to tread carefully. I had the rites to banish a demon memorized. I had even written a paper in college about the different exorcism rites around the world, and had committed many to memory. Most of them required objects to make them work. Herbs, blood, holy water, crosses, or knives were among the most common items needed.

"I wanted to take you, but I noticed you have the most peculiar tattoo." I smirked. Caleb and I got matching tattoos after our first hunt. A friend of mine did them using Holy water in the ink mix. They were of an ancient Celtic protection rune. When placed directly over the heart, it kept the soul clean. Meaning that the person could not be possessed. It was nice to know all that pain I went through was worth it.

"Yeah, sorry about that. You see I have this little issue of having to be in control of my own body."

"Pity. I could fix you. Make you useful once again." He touched my legs as he pulled a chair in front of me and sat down.

"I'm plenty useful, pal. Now why don't you tell me what this is all about?" I wanted to know what I was in for.

"I have been charged with taking care of you." He smiled, but it made my blood run cold.

"That's ok, man, I can take care of myself."

"No, I don't think you understand. I was instructed to possess you, detain you, and if it became absolutely necessary, kill you." He pulled a knife from his boot.

"Why me? What did I ever do to you?" I wasn't sure who this demon was, but he definitely wasn't the one who had killed Caleb.

"You're not part of the plan. Father has plans for the Winchesters, and you need to stay out of it."

"What kind of plans?" I was hoping that this demon hadn't seen too many Bond movies, and would get a little monologuey for me. I was really hoping he would go over the whole plan for me.

"He has special plans for young Samuel. And father doesn't want you to get in the way. Samuel is too important to allow anyone to interfere right now. Besides, Father has mentioned plans for you too, Alisabeth. My sister was sent to begin taking out the Winchesters allies, to force John out into the open. I was sent to take control of you." He grinned in a predatory way, which made my entire body shiver.

"Why me?" I squirmed starting to get a little scared. It was possible for this demon to destroy the tattoo and take me anyway, if he was powerful enough, or knew how.

"You have so much knowledge. Knowledge that Father will be using, once I figure out how to get past that pesky rune." He touched my chest with the knife, and got a distant look in his eye. He appeared to be thinking hard.

"You can't. It's embedded into the skin. Not only was the rune made with ink and holy water, but also scar tissue. It's not possible to remove it, or deform it." I racked my brain to find an exorcism that would work on this guy with no hand gestures, and no supplies.

"Watch me." He stood and kicked the chair out of the way.

There was an ancient Druidic cleansing chant that could be used as an exorcism rite, although it can be quite dangerous if the demon is too powerful, it was the only thing I could think of. It might not be perfect, but I thought it would work well enough. No destruction of the soul, but it would get him out of this guy at least long enough to get back to the car.

He moved around the backside of the chair and moved towards me. That was the moment I was waiting for, I started the chant. He twitched but continued to advance. I closed my eyes and continued with the words. It would work faster if I had my arms free or some herbs, but you have to do the best with what you have.

I felt the knife cut into my skin, but he was shaking badly. He screamed as I continued to speak the words.

Just as I felt him start to exert pressure on the knife I heard a horrible, inhuman scream. I opened my eyes and saw the black mist explode from the young man before me. It broke into a million pieces and scattered to the wind.

I dropped my head to my chest and took a deep breath. Once I could keep my body from shaking I opened my eyes and looked for the young man. He was lying unconscious on the ground beside me.

I decided to just wait for him to come to. I couldn't get my arms free, and I couldn't risk hurting myself if I tipped over. I felt blood trickle down my neck, but there was nothing I could do until the guy woke up.

SNSNSNSNSN

I startled awake. I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but ancient rituals, cracked ribs, and head injuries have a tendency to make a girl sleepy. I kept still and tried to figure out what had awoken me.

I looked down and the young man seemed to be awake. He was looking around with a confused expression on his face.

"Hi." As soon as I spoke he looked at me.

"Um, hi." He sat up and shook his head, as if he were clearing the cobwebs out.

"I'm Lisa. And I am sure that you are really confused as to what is going on, and if you could untie me I will give you some answers." I made sure to smile while speaking slowly and softly.

I have seen many people post-possession, and they are usually frightened. Using my "mom" voice tends to keep them calm and submissive, at least until I tell them what just happened.

"Oh, yeah." He got up and grabbed the knife, the one that still had my blood on it. "I'm Alexander Sullivan." He carefully cut the ropes on my hands, and knelt down to cut the ones on my legs as well.

"Be careful down there, if you cut me I won't know it." He froze, and looked at me with a frightened, questioning look in his eyes. "I'm a paraplegic. No feeling in my legs."

"I'll be careful, miss." And he was. He cut along the metal of the chair so he wouldn't cut me. When I was free, he gently moved my legs into a more natural position.

"Thank you, Alexander." I moved my hands in front of me and started trying to get circulation moving through my arms again. "I've been tied to that chair most of the day from what I can tell."

He sat down on the floor and looked up at me. I was reminded of a kindergartner at story time.

"I suppose you want to know what happened?"

He nodded.

"What was the last thing you remember?"

He thought for a second. "We had just finished a game in Lincoln. I was helping load the gear back onto the bus. Then, I woke up here."

"Okay." How to go through the 'the truth is out there' speech? I needed his help to get back to my car, and I needed him to believe me. "Do you believe in demons?"

He nodded, "God, Angels, Demons. They're all real."

I smiled, that was half the battle right there. "Okay, so I am going to guess that you've heard of demonic possession."

His eyes got wide, "Is that what happened to me?"

"Yes. There are demons out there that want to harm my friends and me. In fact, a demon killed my brother last night, and my teacher yesterday morning. What was inside of you was one of these things. He was supposed to kill me. But I'm smarter than I look." He smiled at that, "And I was able to banish him from your body before he could kill me."

"Okay, so let me get this straight." He stood.

I think this one is going to be able to handle it. A few people I have talked to post-possession go crazy, deny it, or run away. But sometimes they are able to handle it, and even become helpful allies.

"Demons are real. And I had one controlling me."

I smiled. I liked this kid. "Yup. It made you run me off the road, and I woke up here. Judging by the injuries I have, it's likely that my car was damaged in the wreck."

"I guess we should get back to your car. See what kind of shape it's in." He stood and moved towards me.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to pick you up and take you back to your car. Since I carried you here, chances are good that I can carry you back." He smirked, "Don't worry, miss, you're not my type."

I laughed at that, "I bet you prefer blondes then?"

He laughed, "Yeah, how did you know?" He moved in behind me and gently picked me up.

I covered up the whimper of pain with a joke, "Gentlemen always prefer blondes." I winked as he lifted me off of the seat. He jarred my ribs, but there was no helping that.

"That's true" He carried me out of the barn.

SNSNSNSNSN

"There it is."

It was quite a trek to get to the road. And I didn't know which way we would need to go once we got there.

Fortunately for us my car was right at the bottom of the driveway. Unfortunately, she had seen better days.

As soon as I saw my baby I let out a whimper I couldn't suppress this time.

"You ok? I didn't hurt you, did I?" He gently set me down on the trunk of my car.

"No, but my baby. She's…" I couldn't speak. She was a mess. I must have hit the tree going at least 45. There were huge streaks of rubber from her tires on the road leading to the ditch. Frame bent, front axle probably shot, lots of body damage, and that's not even counting the engine.

"Gosh, I'm sorry about this." I looked into his face and could see guilt and pain there.

"It's not your fault, Alex. It was the thing inside you. You had nothing to do with this; you're the victim here hon." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Could you get my chair out of the back seat?" I felt the need to be mobile again. "And see if my purse is in there somewhere."

"Got it." He pulled my chair from the wreckage. "Doesn't look damaged at all." He opened it and set it beside the car. He moved to help me into it, but I stopped him.

"It's ok, Alex, I got it." I winked at him and slid into the chair. "But thanks. Any sign of my purse? I need to call a tow."

He went back into the car, and I punched the code for the locks on the trunk. I needed to be sure everything was still okay in there. The trunk popped open and revealed my stash. I kept pictures all over the compartment. Caleb, Jim, John, Daniel, and the boys all stared back at me. A few other friends were there too. Some were faces of people who were alive; most were not.

It wasn't as organized as John's truck, nor was it as extensive as the boys' but Caleb made sure I had everything I could need, and a few things I hoped I never would. I fingered the box near the edge of the compartment. I knew it contained 6 grenades. 2 Phosphorous, 2 Fragmentation, and 2 flash-bangs were concealed inside. The grenades were a gift from one of his suppliers.

I closed the secret stash and revealed the normal trunk. My suitcase was in there, as was my roadside emergency kit. I pulled out some of the road flares.

"Found it." Alex said, "It was under the seat." He handed me my purse. He then shuffled his feet, like he was unsure what to do next.

"Here, set these up ahead and behind the car. It'll advertise our whereabouts to other drivers so we don't get hit." I handed him 3 road flares.

I grabbed my cell phone from the purse and saw I had 3 messages. Two were from Dean, one was from Bobby.

I decided calling 911 was the best option. Get a tow, maybe get Alex and myself looked at by a medic, and get him home. I spoke to the operator and explained what happened. When I hung up, I gave Alex our cover story. He took it well.

"So you swerved to avoid hitting me. I was delirious and didn't know where I was, which is the truth. I came to a little bit ago with no memory of what happened."

"Right. I'll fill in the rest of the blanks as needed. Always stay as close to the truth as possible. It's rule number one when lying." I smiled. "Now I have some messages I need to listen to, I think I have some munchies in the duffel bag in the backseat, and some pop in the cooler. Help yourself."

I hit the numbers to listen to my messages.

"Hi Lisa, it's Dean. We got to Bobby's and it's mid-morning. We expected you to be here by now. Meg hasn't shown up yet, but we're pretty sure it's only a matter of time. If you want a piece of her, you need to hurry. We're hoping to find out where they have Dad before we remove the demon. Call me when you get this"

Message two was an hour later, "Hi Lisa, Dean again. We sent the demon back to hell. Turns out they are holding Dad in Jefferson City, Missouri. We'll be heading out in a few minutes. We sent the demon back to hell, but the girl who was possessed didn't make it. We've got the Colt and we're headed out to find Dad. Call me when you get this. We could really use your help right now Lis."

I was a little mad that they didn't wait for me, I would have destroyed her soul and scattered it to the four winds. It was the most painful thing I could think to do to her. But I was glad that she wasn't going to be dogging our steps as the boys went after their father.

The third message was a few minutes ago, "Beth, it's Bobby. I haven't heard from the boys since they left here. It's been about 6 hours since I saw them last, they should have gotten to John by now. Of course you should be here by now too. Call me when you get this. Something big is going down."

I saved all 3 messages and closed the phone. "Shit" Alex turned to look at me and I waved my hand. "Nothing, just bad news on the demon front. The friends I was going to meet have disappeared. Chances are the demons have something to do with it."

I saw the flashing lights and heard the sirens a few seconds later.

SNSNSNSNSN

Turns out Alexander had been missing for a few days. He was a student at the University of Minnesota. He was brought to the hospital to be checked out after his head trauma, and apparently his parents met him there. I gave him my cell phone number in case he ever needed it.

It was nearly midnight before I finally got settled into my motel room. I had tried to get my car at least fixed enough to drive to get to the boys, but there was no way I was getting out of here in the next two days. There was damage to the engine, the front axle, and the frame was bent. But I suppose going into the ditch and hitting a tree at 45 miles an hour is going to leave a mark.

I would have just rented a car to get to the boys, but even in big cities you can't rent a car with hand controls very easily, I asked at the garage, but no luck.

Greg, at the garage, is letting me do the work myself. When my baby was brought in, we had a long discussion about restoring classic cars, and he agreed that he would allow me to do most of the work myself, and he would give me the space.

It wasn't a problem of money, but the principal of the thing. I had restored her from a rust pile in my teens. She was my baby, and I was reluctant to allow anyone else to work on her. He agreed to help me out as I worked though. He understood I was in a hurry and needed to be moving again ASAP.

I collapsed onto the bed. I got lucky; this motel actually had a handicapped accessible room. A lot of them don't, so getting into the shower, and even through the bathroom door, can be a challenge.

I would shower in the morning; right now I had some calls to make.

Cold fear had been spreading through me all evening. I knew they were in over their head. I also knew that neither of those boys would be thinking straight because it was not only the demon that killed their mother, and Jessica, but their dad was in trouble.

When it comes to family, or revenge, Winchesters can get tunnel vision. Forget to take precautions, forget to be careful, and it always leads to people getting hurt.

I decided to try Bobby again. I hadn't been able to get a hold of him yet.

"Beth." His voice was deep and gravely, he had been asleep.

"Bobby, thank God. Sorry to wake you, but I still can't get a hold of any of the Winchesters."

"I'm sure they're fine, girl. Stop worrying. They've been doing this a lot longer than you, kid," he yawned and I could hear rustling in the background.

"True, but you also know how careless Winchesters can get when family is involved. They're in over their heads with this whole demon thing, Bobby, and you know it."

He sighed, "Yeah, but there's nothing I can do about it at 1 in the morning." I heard the tell-tale sound of a beer bottle being opened. "How's your car?"

"Changing the subject on me? Fine, Bobby, I'll play. Front axle is bent to hell, engine block's cracked, and the frame is bent pretty badly. It's going to take a few days work to get her moving again. I found a mechanic that's willing to give me space and parts to fix her up."

Bobby sighed, "I'm sorry darlin' I know how much you love that car."

"It'll be good as new again. I'm just going to try for drivable, to get up to your place." I heard a quiver in my voice. I hadn't told him about my run in with the demon yet.

"Somethin' happen?" I heard concern in his voice. It was touching.

I sighed, and decided to tell him, "Yeah, had a run in with a demon. Little brother of the one that killed Caleb, and coincidentally son of the son-of-a-bitch that is after the Winchesters."

Bobby said nothing, so I went on, "He was the reason I crashed, he was in the middle of the road, and I lost control. Turns out he was sent to possess me."

I heard Bobby laugh, "Tough feat with those tattoos you and Caleb got."

"Yup, he noticed that. He decided I needed to be killed instead. I waited until he was near me, and used a Druidic rite to get him out of the guy he was possessing. Not sure where he is now, but chances are he's going to be after me."

"Dangerous choice girl. What makes you say that he's going to be comin' back for ya?"

"He said I was as much a part of the plan as young Samuel. I had my uses to his father, and all would be revealed in time. There was the usual demon posturing, and such. But he was sent to slow me down, possess me, and if necessary, kill me."

"Sounds like you're up to your neck in Winchester shit."

I could hear the smile in his voice, "Yeah. My life has been so dull recently, I needed a little excitement to get through the day." I let the sarcasm drip from my voice.

He laughed. "That's the spirit. Let me know if I can send anything down to help ya with the Charger."

"Thanks, Bobby, but I think I have it covered. If you talk to John or the boys, have them call me please? I was supposed to be helping them right now, and I feel bad that I got detained."

"Sure thing. Get some sleep. I have a bad feeling neither of us is going to get much in the coming weeks."

"You too, Bobby. And thanks." I smiled.

He hung up the phone with a grunt. What was it with these men and their fear of emotions? Hunters seem to be worse than most. A simple 'be careful' or 'I love you' once in a while seems to be too much to ask.

I set the alarm for 7 a.m. I needed to get an early start on the car if I was going to finish in time to help the boys.

SNSNSNSNSN

I awoke with a start. I had been dreaming. I know it was about demons and the Winchesters, but other than that I wasn't sure what had happened.

The alarm was blaring so I shut it off. I got into my chair and made it to the shower.

I got ready for the day and headed out to Greg's garage.

My dream nagged me all day. I didn't remember it, but I knew it meant something. Every few hours I would call the Winchesters, but nothing. By noon, I called Bobby, but he didn't seem to be home at this point either.

I worked straight though the day. Greg helped me on some of the more difficult things, and by nightfall we had made huge amounts of progress, but it was still going to be a few days until I could get out of here.

I still hadn't heard from the Winchesters by evening, so I tried calling Ellen at the Roadhouse. I know she and John had a falling out years ago, and he never took his boys there, but she had her ear to the ground on a lot of things. She hadn't heard anything specific, but knew something big was going down. I thanked her for the info, and told her I would probably be dropping by soonish. She told me I was welcome any time, and that she was sorry to hear about Jim and Caleb.

I thanked her, and hung up.

I was trying my damndest to push Caleb to the back of my mind, but it just wasn't working. All day thoughts and memories threatened to overwhelm me. Working on the car with him, hunting with him, even when Alexander carried me to my car I had thoughts of him.

I grabbed dinner at the diner across from the garage and headed back to the motel. If nobody was going to answer my calls, I would just try and get some sleep. Hopefully I could get to the bottom of all of this in the morning.

I sat down and wrote everything down in my journal before bed. The encounter with the demon, Caleb and Jim, and even what I knew about John and the yellow-eyed demon.

After I did that, I leafed through Jim's journal looking for info on the Winchester's personal demon. I didn't find much unfortunately. John was a pretty private person, especially when it came to his own crusade. So it didn't surprise me that Jim wouldn't have anything more than Caleb and I.

I put Jim's journal down and decided to turn in. It was 10 at night and I needed to get an early start tomorrow.

I set the alarm for 6 and turned out the light.

SNSNSNSNSN

I was woken up by the sound of my cell phone.

I found it on the bed and opened it, "Hello" I croaked.

"Beth." I immediately recognized the sound of Bobby's voice.

"Bobby, what's wrong?" I looked at the clock, it was 5:55am.

"It's the Winchesters." My heart sank. "Sammy called me. They had some kind of car accident. They're at a hospital in Kansas City. I'm on my way to retrieve the Impala before the cops find the trunk."

"Charger's not done yet. It'm still going to be a few days."

"It's ok, girl. Nothing you can do anyway. I'll call you when I know more. Right now Sam's awake, and is going to be released later today, but he wouldn't say anything about Dean and John, other than they are alive. The kid seems pretty shaken up."

"Understandable. Thanks for the update. I'll try and push the repairs so hopefully I can join you by tomorrow night. We still have a lot of work to do before I can even think about driving her." I couldn't wrap my brain around what he was telling me.

"I could come and get you, bring you with me to help."

"No, they need you more than I do right now. I'll be along as soon as I can." I closed my eyes and tried to think through the blanket that seemed to have taken up residence inside my brain. "Keep me posted?"

"Of course. Take care."

"You too Bobby."

I closed my phone and sighed, no rest for the wicked.

I got ready for what I knew was going to be a very long day.

SNSNSNSNSN

I tossed my phone on the nightstand and flopped down onto the bed. It was nearly midnight, but the Charger would be ready to roll by noon. I called Bobby and he told me about Dean's condition. I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to see him before he died. The doctors don't have much hope for a recovery, and Sam wasn't taking it well. Bobby seemed to think I can help somehow, but I had no idea what I can do that they haven't already.

I had worked all day with no breaks. Greg ordered in a pizza and got me to sit long enough to manage one slice. Then I got back to work. I needed to get out of there and up to Bobby and the Winchesters as soon as possible.

I needed an update on the boys before I could sleep though, so I picked up the phone and called Sam.

"Hi Lisa."

"Hi Sam. How're ya holding up?" I could hear his voice was thick. Either he had been sleeping or crying.

"Not good. Dean's around."

"He's awake? That's great man-"

"No." He interrupted. "He's a spirit, and he's hunting a reaper."

Shit. You don't hunt a reaper, they hunt you. If it's there for him, then there's nothing any of us could do except let him know we care and send him off to heaven. "You sure?"

"Yeah, figured out a way to talk to him."

I smirked, good ol' Sammy. "Spirit board?"

"Yeah." He sighed, "but I can't figure out how to kill it."

"You don't kill death, Sam. Sometimes you just have to accept it." I could hear my own voice hitch as I spoke. He was silent on the other end. "I should be there by tomorrow afternoon, man. You gonna be ok until then?"

"Yeah."

"Where's John?" I asked as softly and gently as I could.

"Don't know. He's not in his room." I heard the anger edge into Sam's voice. He always was like John, had to be in control and have things his way. "He had Bobby get him some things that are used to summon a demon."

"You think he would summon the damn thing to the hospital with all three of you hurt? With Dean dying?" Why would John need summoning items? Unless he was planning on making a deal. I closed my eyes and thought, "John Winchester, if you do what I think you are going to do I am going to drag your ass back from hell myself just so I can kick you all the way back there."

"I don't know. The Colt only has one bullet left, and I don't know what he's thinking. But of course Dad never tells us what he's thinking, he just does it."

"Breathe, Sam." I used my mom voice. It always worked on witnesses, small children, and hunters. Calms them right down. "It's no use getting mad at your father now. You need to stay calm and focused on Dean. He needs you right now more than John."

"I know." He sighed, but seemed calmer, mom voice wins again. "I just wish he was here with Dean, rather than off doing whatever the hell he thinks he's doing."

"I know Sam." I heard the kid yawn. A good sign. I just might be able to get some sleep tonight, if I can convince Sammy to sleep. "Sounds like you need some sleep, bud. Bobby said you are concussed and have a nasty shiner. You need your rest if you're going to keep Dean safe."

"Yeah. They brought a comfortable chair into his room so I could sleep."

"Smart move." I smiled, he really did sound sleepy. "I've been working on the Charger for two days, and I should have her done by tomorrow. I can be up there by tomorrow evening."

"How is your baby?" I heard the squeak of vinyl. He was settling down.

"She's probably in better shape than Dean's. I only hit a tree, not a semi."

"Yeah, she's pretty much toast, but as long as there's one working part we're not going to give up on-" He stopped.

"I know, Sam. I'm not giving up either, so there's at least two of us in this fight." I paused for a second, "What name are you guys listed under?" I knew John was the master at fraud and would never use their real names if he could get away with it.

"Elroy McGillicutty and his two sons Dean and Sam."

I laughed, "At least you two get to keep your names."

"Yeah, but McGillicutty? Dad must be scraping the bottom of the barrel for names at this point."

"Yeah. I'll be there tomorrow, hang in there, ok sweetie?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Lisa."

"Goodnight, Sam."

I hung up.

So, my future is going to consist of helping heal John and Sam when they lose Dean and fixing not only my Charger, but also the Impala. Sam would never let his brother's car go, especially if Dean doesn't make it. And with a reaper on his tail, the chances of Dean making it are mighty slim. It would take a miracle or a deal with a demon. But not even John is that stupid. He's got another plan up his sleeve. And I am going to find out just what the hell he's thinking tomorrow.

I set my phone on the nightstand and curled up on the bed. I decided I was going to pray for the Winchesters. They were going to need all the help they could get.

SNSNSNSNSN

I woke once again to the sounds of my cell phone. I looked at the caller ID, Winchester, J.

I opened the phone, "John?"

"Sorry to wake you Lisa, but I need to ask you a favor."

"What time is it?"

"It's One o'clock. I need you awake, Alisabeth. I have some things to talk to you about, and I don't have much time."

The softness in his voice brought me back to that first night I met him. He was trying to get me to cooperate without spooking me. I grabbed my notebook from my backpack next to the bed and tried to shake the cobwebs out of my brain.

"Go ahead, John, I'm as awake as I'm gonna be."

"You know about the Colt, right?"

"Yeah, Samuel Colt made it the night the Alamo fell when Halley's Comet was overhead. Nobody knows how he knew to make it, or why it worked, but it did. It was used half a dozen times before it disappeared. Elkins managed to track it down, and it's been in your possession for the last few months."

"Good girl." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Now, have you heard anything about other guns like the Colt?"

"Yeah, there has been a few references in more recent occult lore about John Browning being the next Samuel Colt. He was into the occult, like Colt, and I have come across a few rumors that the first prototype of the M1911 was created like Samuel's Colt revolver for a hunter to take out a demon. But I have only heard a few rumors about it, and even Dan couldn't track anything more down."

"One of Caleb's contacts in Ireland just called me this afternoon. He got a lead on Browning's 1911. It's as true as Colt's. He also thinks he knows where to find the spell book that was used. If we could find the spell book-"

"We could make more." I smiled, "Well, I could make more anyway. I don't think many hunters were taught gunsmithing."

He laughed, "You and Caleb were pretty much it as far as those skills go. And with Dan and Jim gone, you have also become chief researcher too." His voice was still soft, but I could hear pride in it as well.

"Yeah, well if some people had taught their children skills other than just hunting and killing, there would be more people to help with these things." I smiled, this had been a running joke between John and me ever since my accident.

"True." He sighed, "I don't have a lot of time Lisa. Do you think you can do it?"

"What, track down a weapon that was never made, and make a new gun from a spell book that doesn't exist?" I laughed, "Piece of cake. I learned from the best."

He laughed, "That you did sweetheart." He sighed, "I'm sorry about Caleb. I never meant for anyone else to get in the middle of this."

"I know. It wasn't your fault, John. Your boys sent the demon responsible to hell and for that I'm grateful. If she crawls her way back out I'll know about it. I had a contact of mine do a locator spell on her. If she pops up anywhere in the world the crystal will glow, and when I set it near a map it will tell me precisely where she is." I stopped, I realized what he was getting at, and I was going to let him off the hook, "But for what it's worth, John, I forgive you."

"Thanks Lis. You always were a resourceful one." He got sighed.

"John? What's wrong?" He was never quiet with me, come to think of it I hardly ever heard that man sigh either. I know with most people, including his own sons, he was terse. But he had never been like that with me. He told me once that I was easy to talk to, like Mary was. He said I remind him of her. So that could be why. I never asked, and he never offered.

"Can you do me one more favor?" He seemed timid, another trait foreign to John Winchester, drill Sergeant.

"Of course, John. What do you need?"

"Watch out for my boys."

Alarm bells went off in my head. The items to summon a demon, making sure I can find another gun like the colt, apologizing. He was going to have a showdown with the yellow-eyed SOB. "Sure, John. I can try, but I'm not exactly an A-string hunter."

"Just do what you do best, sweetheart. Do the research, supply the weapons, and help the boys fix up the car."

"Yeah, Bobby thinks she's a lost cause, but Sam just won't give up."

"He always was a stubborn one."

I smiled, "You never could talk sense into him. Especially once he gets something into his head. Even if it's dangerous and foolish. Just like his father."

"You've got me there, Lisa." He paused and his voice softened, "I have to go, see you when I see you, kiddo"

"You bet, John, I should be up there by dinnertime."

"Take care, baby girl."

"You too, old man." I heard him laugh as he hung up the phone.

I looked at the clock. It was almost 2 a.m. I made sure the alarm was set for 6 and rolled over. I couldn't get John out of my head though. What he said to me, how quiet he was. The fact that he was giving me a mission while his oldest son was dying. I was definitely going to give him a piece of my mind tomorrow.

SNSNSNSNSN

It didn't take nearly as long as I thought to get things done at the garage. I still had some extensive bodywork to do, but my baby was at least drivable now. I was on the road by 9. I paid Greg handsomely for allowing me to invade, and putting off a few other projects to allow me to get out sooner. He gave me a hug and told me I was welcome back anytime to help him if I felt like it. I told him I would and took off.

I drove like a mad woman. It was 9am and I tried calling Sam, but it kicked straight into voicemail. I called John and even tried Dean phone, in case Sam had his possessions, and got the same response.

Calling the hospital, the nice woman at the switchboard told me I couldn't be patched into the phone in an ICU room, but did tell me Dean was in Room 234, and 'Elroy' was in 238. I told her I was a family member and asked to be put on the approved list. Once I arrived and checked in, I would be issued a visitor pass and be allowed to see my "father" and "brother."

I drove straight on through. There seemed to be a couple of noises coming from my baby I was going to have to address, but she wasn't going to fall apart before I got her to Bobby's for a complete overhaul.

It was noon before I finally reached the hospital where they were. It wasn't very big, but it was really a very good hospital with a fabulous trauma department.

I wheeled myself into the main entrance and stopped at the check-in desk, and I was issued a visitor pass for my father and brother. She didn't check the computer since she was the woman I spoke to a few hours before and knew who I was and who I was there for.

I thanked her and wheeled myself down to the elevators. It was actually kind of nice to be in a place that is designed for wheelchairs. The doorways are nice and wide, and the elevator buttons aren't too high.

When the doors of the elevator opened on the second floor I didn't see anyone in the halls. I was told I could just go straight into their rooms, so that's what I planned to do.

I moved down the hall and stopped just outside John's room. There was no name on the room, but it was 238, the room I was told he was in.

I moved in and the room was empty. There was evidence that someone had been in here, syringes and sterile packages on the floor, sheets ruffled on the bed, and a clipboard lying on the table. I moved over and picked it up, McGillicutty, Elroy. I opened the file and saw the front sheet, deceased, time: 10:41 a.m.

I just sat there looking at the words. Deceased. Dead. The indestructible John Winchester was dead.

I felt a hand on my arm; I grabbed it and twisted the person into my face. It was a woman, she had a nametag, and was wearing scrubs. She was a nurse. My brain caught up to my body and I let her go. "Sorry."

"Are you all right, miss?" She rubbed her arm and backed away.

"Yeah." I could feel the tears in my eyes. Suddenly I felt panic in my gut, I whispered, "Dean."

I rolled past her and down the hall to where I was told Dean was. Again the room was empty. There was a ventilator in the corner and the sheets were ruffled again.

"Dean." I burst into tears, I must have fallen out of my chair because the next thing I know strong arms were picking me up. I heard a woman's voice, but couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Sam. He has to be around here somewhere. "Where's Sam?" I was in a total panic.

"Ms. McGillicutty, I need you to take a deep breath sweetie. Your brother Dean is ok. It was a miracle if I ever saw one. Sam took him home a few minutes ago." She had a hand on my knee and was crouching in front of me.

I closed my eyes. Dean and Sam were ok. I could live with that. I took a deep breath and got myself under control.

"Are you all right now?" She said patting my leg once I was able to look up.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm sorry. I don't usually lose it like that." I tool another shaky breath. "Did my brothers make any arrangements for my father before they left?"

"No sweetie, they were in such a state of shock that they just up and left." She stood up and motioned for the others to leave.

"How did he die?"

"We don't know. He was released last night, and this morning he just collapsed. It seems his heart just stopped. We were going to do an autopsy, but your brothers didn't sign the consent form. In fact they didn't sign any forms except the discharge against medical advice form for Dean. Sam said someone would be by to take care of all that later."

"Ok" the person to make the arrangements would be me. So be it. I could do this. "I need to make some calls. Who do I contact about the bod-I mean the remai-I mean my father?" I couldn't think of him as a body, not yet. He was John Winchester, the legend.

She gave me the name of the person to contact, and led me to a quiet room I could use to make the calls from.

I called one of my contacts. He was a funeral home director here in Kansas City. I made arrangements for him to pick up John this afternoon. I could pick up the body from him this evening, and get it to Bobby's by tonight.

I gave the contact at the hospital the information. I signed all the forms the boys didn't get to before they left. I made sure to not authorize the autopsy. I cited religious reasons.

I had 6 hours or so to kill before I had to meet up with Cliff to retrieve John's body. I needed to get a hold of Bobby or the boys.

I tried Sam and Dean's cell phones, but neither one had them on. They didn't even ring, just kicked straight into voicemail

I decided to call Bobby, but he wasn't home either. I left messages for both boys and Bobby. I hoped that one of them would get a hold of me. I really hoped that Bobby had the boys right now. The thought of those boys out there alone, having just lost John, was frightening to me.

I went to a diner and got myself some lunch. I wasn't even sure what I ate. I was just getting back into the car after paying when my phone went off. It was Sam's cell.

"Hello?"

"Beth,"

"Bobby. Thank God. The boys with you?" I was relieved at the gruff voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, we just got back to my place." He paused, "So you know about John." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

He moved right on, "Colt's gone too."

"I figured. He told me about Browning's 1911 last night. Between knowing a reaper was after Dean, the stuff John had you get him, and his telling me about the 1911; I figured he was either going to have a showdown or trade himself." I could hear the anger seeping into my voice. I didn't want to be angry, but I was having trouble controlling it right now.

"Yeah, I figured that too." He got quiet.

"But we're not going to tell them."

"Nope."

"They will figure it out, but I am not going to be the one to tell Dean that his father traded his life, and his soul, for him. It would destroy that boy."

"Yup."

"I have made arrangements to get John's body out of there. I will be able to pick it up from Cliff at the funeral home this evening. I was hoping that I could bring it there so the boys can give him a warrior's burial." My anger was turning to tears slowly. It was sinking in. They would burn John's body tonight.

"Ok. I'll let them know so they can get the pyre ready."

"Thanks Bobby."

"Sorry I didn't call you Beth, but the boys are in bad shape. I needed to get them out of there. I knew you were on your way and would take care of things."

"Don't worry about it, Bobby. I should be there by nightfall. Make sure the boys are ready for this."

"Will do."

"Goodbye, Bobby." I noticed my vision blurring; I needed to get him off the phone before I broke down.

"Beth." He hung up the phone.

I threw the phone down onto the seat next to me and laid my head against the window. It had been a long week, and there was no end in sight for me.

SNSNSNSNSN

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew my phone was ringing again and it was dark outside.

"Hello?"

"Alisabeth, it's Cliff." The voice on the other end was all business.

"Hi Cliff. Everything set?" I sighed and gathered myself together.

"Yeah. Come on over whenever you're ready. I'll have him ready to go when you get here."

"I'm on my way right now." I started the car. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure, anything, hon." I could hear warmth seep into his voice.

"Could I have a few minutes alone with him before you pack him up?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. I'll be there in a few."

SNSNSNSNSN

There was only one car in the lot other than the hearses. I pulled around the back and parked up close to the building.

Cliff was waiting for me and opened the door as I approached. He led me inside and down to the preparation room. I explained I was taking John to Bobby's where the boys would take care of him. Give him a warrior's funeral.

When Cliff opened the door, John was lying on the table in the center.

"You said you wanted to see him, so I figured we could get him ready to go after you had a moment. Take all the time you need, sweetie. Come and get me when you're done."

I thanked him and waited until I heard his shoes move down the hallway.

I rolled up to the table and looked at him. He had been cleaned up. He looked pretty good, almost like he would wake up and make some kind of joke about me staring at him.

"John. I have some things I need to say to you. I know you're not here. In fact I am pretty sure you're in hell right now, given the circumstances surrounding your death, but for my own sanity I need to talk to you."

"I am so angry with you right now. How could you do it John? I know you would walk through hell for your boys, but I never thought you'd actually do it. There had to be another way; some way that you could be here for them, for me. With Jim and Caleb both gone you were the only hero I had left. And now you're gone too."

"Dean is going to figure it out you know. That boy lives for you and Sam. Without you, he's going to tailspin and it's not going to be pretty. He loves you more than he loves himself. The pain of losing you is bad enough, but once he figures out he is the reason you're gone, it's going to destroy him. I don't even think Sam can help him with that one."

"You died with so many secrets, John. So many things you had found but didn't want to tell anyone. I only hope that the key to winning the war hasn't died with you."

"After I bring you to Bobby's I will start the search for the 1911. I want to thank you for letting me know about it. I hope you let some of your secrets out to others as well. If I can make more guns like the Colt it will turn the battle, and make it so we actually have an advantage."

"I am going to miss you, John. I promise to look out for the boys as much as I can. I am going to have to leave them for a while to find the 1911, but once I do I promise I will team up with them, and we're going to take this son-of-a-bitch out once and for all."

I sighed. I locked my braces in place and used the edge of the table to lever myself up so I could see his face. "I love you, John Winchester. You saved my life, and you saved my sanity. You might have had a falling out with everyone you ever met, but you really always were one of the good guys." I kissed his forehead.

The skin was cold. There was no sign of life. I fell back into my chair and put my head on his arm. I just let myself cry. For all those we lost this week, and for everyone still left behind.

SNSNSNSNSN

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I grabbed it and used the arm to pivot my chair around to face my attacker.

"Whoa, Lisa. It's me." I let go as soon as I saw it was Cliff.

"Sorry, man." I let out a nervous laugh. "Don't sneak up on a person like that."

"I have been calling your name for a few minutes now. Are you ready?"

I sniffed and shrugged. "Give me a few more minutes?"

"Lisa, you've been in here for an hour now. If you're going to get to Mr. Singer's place tonight you should be off soon."

I looked at my watch. It really had been in here for an hour. "Sorry, Cliff, yeah I'm ready I guess."

"Go get your back seat ready. I'll bring him out in a few minutes."

I nodded and went back out to my car. I opened the top to make it easier to get John in, and pulled out all of the seatbelts. I wanted to lay him across the back seat, and secure him with the seatbelts.

Cliff brought out a gurney with a big black bag on it. "The body bag is air and fluid tight. It has inner and outer linings that are both sealed. You shouldn't have any problems on your trip." I helped him lift John up and move him into the back seat.

We sat him in the seat first, and were moving to lay him down when I giggled.

He raised his eyebrow at me and I shrugged, "Remember those 'Weekend at Bernie's' movies?"

He smiled, "Yeah, but somehow I don't think the great John Winchester would appreciate the comparison."

"No, but I find it amusing." We finished securing John, and I laid a blanket over the black bag. I hit the button to close the topper and rolled up all the windows.

He dug in his pocket and handed me an envelope. "It's John's paperwork. If you get stopped, I don't want you to get arrested for having a dead body in your backseat."

"Thanks, Cliff. I appreciate it." I hugged him and he opened the door for me.

"Anything for a fellow hunter." I transferred myself into the seat, and he folded my chair up and set it in the back seat where I could reach it.

I don't remember much of the trip. I know I was talking to John the whole way. Memories of him, of the boys, memories of Caleb and Jim. Things I have never told anyone, I told to the corpse in my back seat. I had a few hours to kill, so I figured I would make the most of it.

It was almost midnight when I got to Bobby's place. I pulled right up to the house. I saw the screen door open even before I shut off the engine. I left the headlights on and watched the men come out of the house.

I hit the button to open the top and transferred myself out of the seat and into my chair. As soon as I was settled, Sam reached me and lifted me into a huge bear hug. I hugged him back. "I am so glad you're okay, Sammy."

He set me back down in my chair, but as soon as he stepped away Dean grabbed me and did the same thing. "You had me so worried, Dean. I was sure you were a goner hon." I hugged him tight and didn't let go, even when he started to relax his grip.

He set me down and Bobby came up to me. "Don't expect a hug, Beth."

"Bobby, I would be seriously afraid if you decided to give me a hug. These two girls are one thing, but I hold you to a higher standard." He smiled and leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Thanks for taking care of him, Beth." He whispered in my ear.

I whispered back, "Next time, you get to retrieve the body."

He laughed and motioned for me to follow him inside. I saw that he already had the sheet of plywood set up on the front stairs to make his home wheelchair accessible. I smiled; Bobby really was a softy.

I got to the steps and turned back to the car. They had removed the body bag from the car and were already headed out into the darkness.

Bobby laid a hand on my shoulder. "It's something they have to do alone. You can't help them with this."

"I know. I already did it this week, Bobby." I closed my eyes and tried to not think about the body that I burned a few days ago. "Let's go inside. I need to do some drinking, and I know you're the guy to do it with."

SNSNSNSNSN

I rolled up to the table in the kitchen and Bobby set out two glasses. He then sat across from me with the whiskey. He poured us each a shot and nudged one across the table to me.

I picked it up and raised my glass, "To John. The most stubborn man on the planet."

Bobby laughed, "And one hell of a friend."

I nodded and we both knocked back the first shot of the night. I held out my glass, and he poured us both another. I raised my glass again, and Bobby followed, "To friends lost."

"And found." He finished, and we both downed drink two of the night.

We both got very quiet after that. "I got the boys set up in the back bedroom. You can have mine. I'll crash on the couch."

I looked up at that. "No Bobby, you can keep your room, it's on the second floor anyway man. I can't get up there. I'll crash on the couch."

"I'm sure they boys wouldn't mind helping you up the stairs." He poured us both another shot.

"I don't want to have to rely on them. I'm good on the couch." I knew I wasn't going to be here long. I was going to go through everything Bobby had on the 1911, and any spells that might have been used by Colt. Once I got through that I was gone.

"Think they will be back tonight?" Bobby stood and motioned for me to join him.

"Nope. They will stay until the embers die out. Then they'll come back here and crash." I followed him to the porch. "I'll get Sammy to start in on research tomorrow."

"And what will you be doing?" Bobby had a mischievous grin on his face.

"I have two classic cars to help restore. I'm going to need Dean's help with the Charger, and I know that he's going to need some help with the Impala. Sam's no good under a hood, unless a miracle has happened in the last few years?" Bobby shook his head, "And with the slight lack of a Dewy-Decimal system around here, I need you helping Sam do the research." I sighed, "John's last orders were for me to watch out for the boys and find the 1911. I plan on doing both."

Bobby and I sat there on the porch until the sun came up in comfortable silence. The boys came around the side of the house. They nodded at me, and I nodded back. It was done then. They sat down with us. Dean sat on the steps, and Sam sat near my feet.

They smelled like gasoline and smoke. I felt a tear trail down my face. It was the same smell from when I burned Caleb.

We were quiet for a long while, listening to the sounds of the morning. None of us seemed to be in a hurry to move inside. Eventually Bobby broke the comfortable silence; "We lost a lot of good hunters this week."

I bit my lip and whispered, "Yeah."

Sam reached up and squeezed my hand. I squeezed it back and took a deep breath.

"We have work to do." They all turned and looked at me. I shrugged, "Well, we do. Come on, I'll make some coffee and we can discuss what needs to be done."

Sam shook his head. "No." He stood up and towered over me. He was mad. I could tell, but I didn't cower. I could feel my temper flaring up. The little brat thinks he can just take a little vacation.

"The world keeps turning, Sam. It sucks, but we have a job to do." I unlocked the wheels on my chair and started to move inside.

He moved in front of me and yelled, "Dad is dead Lisa."

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. I whispered low, "And so is Caleb." I looked him in the face and let every emotion show. "My big brother is dead, Sam. My protector, best friend, and partner in crime is gone, forever. I got to find his body not 12 hours after finding Jim's. I got to clean up the blood, and go through his pockets. I got to burn him all by myself." I locked my braces, grabbed the edge of the wicker chair Bobby was in, and stood up. "While his body was still burning, I had to leave him and continue on with the hunt."

I advanced on him driving him into the house, using whatever was around to keep my balance. "You don't get to take fucking time off Samuel Winchester. Your God-damned father gave me a job to do before he died, and I need some help with it for fuck's sake." I felt a presence behind me. I knew it was Dean. I turned to face him, "And you." I poked him in the chest with my finger, "You don't get a break either. I promised John to help you fix the damn Impala. And I am going to need your help fixing the Charger properly. I was in such a hurry to get here I cheated my baby. She's not even done, just drivable because I was in such a hurry."

I made a grab for the doorframe to turn back to Sam, but I missed. I felt myself falling, but a set of strong arms caught me. He lowered me to the ground and I lost it. I just screamed out all of my frustration and tears right there on the floor in the doorway. I didn't even know who was holding me. And frankly I didn't care. All I knew was it wasn't Caleb. I missed my big brother so badly.

SNSNSNSNSN

I must have cried myself to sleep, because I woke up on the couch with a blanket over me. Someone had taken off my braces and removed most of my weapons. I sat up and noticed even the blade I keep on my arm is gone. Must have been Dean. He's the only one that knows about that knife.

I put on the braces and moved into my chair that was placed nearby. I rolled into the kitchen to see the three men sitting around drinking coffee. When I came in, they all stood up with uncertainty on their faces.

I knew I could change the mood by what I said next. There had been enough anger and sadness for a while, so I chose to make a joke. I looked straight at Dean, "I'm surprised you didn't strip-search me." I smirked and pulled a blade from my bra lining. "You missed one or two however."

They all let out a sigh and Sam poured me a mug of coffee. Dean smirked, "No, I found it, I just didn't want you to be completely unarmed."

I rolled up next to him and grabbed his shoulder. I looked him in the eye, and nodded. He smiled and nodded back. "I appreciate the thought." I winked and turned to look at Bobby, "So Bobby, you tell the boys about my assignment?"

"Not yet."

Dean bowed towards me; "We were waiting for you to get up Sleeping Beauty."

I grinned, "You should have had Sam try to kiss me. I mean the handsome prince often breaks the spell in fairy tales."

Bobby cleared his throat. "I'm glad that your senses of humor have returned, but I think we have work to do."

"Yeah." I grabbed a notebook from the bag on the back of my chair and opened it to the page I was on when I took notes with John.

Bobby slid a plate in front of me. I looked up, "What's this?"

"Eggs, bacon, and a biscuit." Dean answered.

"I can see that, but why?" I looked at the sink and saw the dishes waiting.

"When was the last time you ate?" Sam asked settling back into his chair.

"Yesterday afternoon, while waiting for word that I could pick up-" I stopped, looked up and smiled, "Yeah, I could eat."

I ate as I explained to them what John had told me about the 1911.

When I was done, Sam looked at Bobby. "You think it's true? Is there another gun like the Colt?"

"Yeah. I have heard rumors, but nothing substantial. Not even Daniel Elkins could track it down." Bobby took my dishes and put them in the sink.

"I turned off Caleb's phone when I found him. I don't want to have to tell everyone he's gone, so I decided to leave it be. Barry must have called Caleb, and not gotten through, so he called John."

"And John didn't have the time to track down another gun so he called you." Bobby finished.

"Yeah." Didn't have time because he was about to send himself to hell.

"How do we fit in though?" Sam asked moving over to the sink.

"I need to fix up the Charger, and Dean's going to need some help with the Impala." Sam started to interrupt, but Dean cut him off.

"No, Sam. Engines have never been your thing. I think I get where she's going with this." He started tracing lines in the condensation on the table. "We work on getting the cars fixed up, and you and Bobby go through the books here to see if you can find anything on the spells used to make the weapons or about the guns themselves."

"Do twice the work, in half the time." Sam grabbed the rag and started washing the breakfast dishes.

"Exactly." I rolled over and grabbed the towel. I looked up as Sam. "Just like at Jim's place, huh?"

"Yeah. Washing the dishes always was actually fun when we did it together." He looked down at me and smiled, "You would always tell me a story while we worked."

I chuckled. "Yeah, we had some good times while washing dishes. But I have got to know kid, when did you get so damn tall?"

We all had a good laugh at that. We needed it too. A light-hearted moment before we get back into the hunt. I relaxed and told them a story.

SNSNSNSNSN

We fell into a routine quickly. Bobby would make breakfast in the morning, and Sam and I would do the washing up. Dean would, more often than not, hang around and help. He eventually jumped in to put things away once I was done drying them.

Bobby and Sam would move out into the study and go through the books Bobby had. Sam decided to start cataloging and organizing them so we could find things easier the next time around.

Dean and I would go out to the yard and start working on the cars. We went into town and got all of the parts we needed for the Charger, and some of what we needed for the Impala. I used some of my contacts to get parts shipped to us too.

We would work on the Charger for a few hours in the morning, and then switch over to the Impala for the rest of the day. We mostly worked in silence, but it was comfortable. The first day Dean felt the need to check my work on the Impala, and I did the same of his work on the Charger.

After that first day we were both satisfied that the other was competent, and we moved much faster on repairs after that.

While we were working on the Charger Dean noticed I had used a few stopgap measures to get her fixed up faster. He mentioned it to me as we were working.

"When I was fixing her, I was under the impression you were dying. The demon was out there, and the three of you were in no condition to fight off a litter of kittens, let alone the legions of hell. I did what I had to do to get her here, and I knew we would fix it later."

I knew I was getting defensive, but I felt like he was condemning my parenting skills.

"No I get it, I do. And some of these fixes are clever, but I wish you hadn't had to do them." He pulled out a bundle of speaker wire and started replacing it with the right kinds of wiring.

"Me too."

That really was the last of our conversations while working with the cars. Sure there was talk of what to do next, handing each other tools, and requests for help, but other than 'shop talk' there wasn't really any chit-chat. And I was fine with that.

In the evenings Dean would sit on the porch with Bobby and drink beer while Sammy and I went over things inside.

I tried calling Barry a few times, but only got his voicemail.

Sam and Bobby were making steady progress on cataloging his library, but were no closer to a spell or the gun. They had found some interesting things, protections, exorcism rites, and such, but nothing about making a weapon.

We finished the Charger on the fifth day. We were even able to fix her paint job and body. She was shiny and new looking. The Impala was starting to resemble a car again. She didn't have anything but an engine, and a frame, but the rest of the parts were slowly trickling in. We had ordered everything; it was just a matter of getting it all put back together.

Sammy and I were doing the dinner dishes when I heard my phone. It was Barry. I grabbed my notebook and started jotting down what he was telling me.

It turns out Browning's Occult M1911 was being auctioned off in one week at a private sale in London. Barry had two invites to it and wanted me to come along. He also found the trail of some old books and writings that belonged to Browning. It has been reported to be an occult poetry book, but Barry had seen a page, and it was really a spell book. That wasn't up for auction, but the gun was. He's pretty sure it was the right gun because it has symbols carved into the gun that are consistent with the Colt.

I thanked him for the info and told him I would get the first flight to London I could find.

I hung up and called Bobby into the kitchen and told them what Barry told me.

"So it's been found." Dean said sitting at the table and breaking out the whiskey.

"And you're going to leave." Sam sat too.

"Johns' last instructions to me were to find the gun and the spells used to make it. We need ammunition for it. Having the gun is a good thing, but it is useless without more bullets."

"When are you going?" Sam was looking at the table.

"As soon as I can." I glanced up and both boys looked a little sad. "You're going to have to finish the Impala on your own, Dean. Think you can handle it?" I winked.

"I think so. I might even get it done faster with you out of my way." He nudged me and winked.

I grabbed my phone. I had a contact at a travel agency; she would get me a good deal on a fast trip. "Bobby?" I turned to him.

"You can leave the Charger here, Beth. I'll even make a place for her in the garage until you get back."

"Thanks." I went into the study to make the arrangements.

SNSNSNSNSN

The next day I was on a plane headed for London. I felt bad about leaving the boys, but they had Bobby. And each other. They would be fine. I was the one who was out on my own. Taking care of John's last request.

The crystal was around my neck, but it was dark. The demon I was tracking hasn't shown yet. I hoped to have the 1911 and ammunition by the time she dragged herself out of hell. I would avenge Caleb and Jim if it was the last thing I did.

Next time: Ireland


End file.
